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Adventure Game Scene of the Day — Thursday 02 April 2015

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When The Sydney Mystery (2003) was released, I thought it sounded like a great novel idea for indie developers: a whodunnit with FMV and composed of real life photographs. This was before the first Carol Reed game made its appearance and even before A Quiet Weekend in Capri. I was smart and played the demo first. I’m sorry to say it was pretty awful. Even the photos of beautiful Sydney lacked something. Frown In those days I frequented Quandary (now metzomagic) and Four Fat Chicks (now tap repeatedly), and their IMO far too positive reviews convinced me that we should hold indie developers up to the usual standards. Even more so when they charge 25 bucks.

The guy in the screenshot is a policeman undercover. Yes, in a koala bear suit on the beach. Sad.

PS: One or two characters read their lines from paper. I swear I’m not imagining it. There was a mike in plain view. I want to be able to hear what characters are saying, even when the wind is strong. The music was a loop of just a few notes. Every time you revisit a location you have to listen to the same description, whether it’s still appropriate or not (“I wonder if X lives here”). The locked door and the key under door puzzle… the list is endless.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Karlok - 02 April 2015 08:30 AM

One or two characters read their lines from paper.

Come on, you must be imagining it.

Karlok - 02 April 2015 08:30 AM

I swear I’m not imagining it.

Ok.

Karlok - 02 April 2015 08:30 AM

... the list is endless.

Thank you for saving me from wasting a part of my life by trying Sydney.

Karlok - 02 April 2015 08:30 AM

In those days I frequented Quandary (now metzomagic) and Four Fat Chicks (now tap repeatedly)

Me too. Those were the days.

     

Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.

-Cary Grant

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I played this, and yes, it was indeed pretty poor. Even the ending, when you pinpoint the culprit and confront him, he just replies with the most deadpan “Yes, it was me.” ever.

The idea wasn’t bad, but the execution was amateurish at best…

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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zobraks - 02 April 2015 11:20 AM
Karlok - 02 April 2015 08:30 AM

In those days I frequented Quandary (now metzomagic) and Four Fat Chicks (now tap repeatedly)

Me too. Those were the days.

Quandary was solid and dependable. The Four Fat Chicks were interesting non-conformists. Did you also visit Mr. Bill’s Adventureland? Mr. Bill had one goal in life: promoting adventure games. All adventures were good. None were bad. Just read his review of The Sydney Mystery. Mr. Bill sometimes made me feel like Duckman in the presence of Fluffy and Uranus. That’s a mean-looking piranha, isn’t it. Thumbs Up

TimovieMan - 02 April 2015 04:57 PM

I played this, and yes, it was indeed pretty poor. Even the ending, when you pinpoint the culprit and confront him, he just replies with the most deadpan “Yes, it was me.” ever.

The idea wasn’t bad, but the execution was amateurish at best…

What made you play this game? Not played The Last Express yet, no Tex Murphy, but the Sydney Mystery got your attention? You’ve got some explaining to do.  Tongue

PS: AG gave the Sydney Mystery 1.5 stars.

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Any idea how can i get a hold of this game? The developer’s website says it’s no longer available for purchase.

     
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SoccerDude28 - 02 April 2015 08:06 PM

Any idea how can i get a hold of this game? The developer’s website says it’s no longer available for purchase.

No idea. The demo is still available though. What made you decide you want to play it?

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Karlok - 02 April 2015 08:08 PM
SoccerDude28 - 02 April 2015 08:06 PM

Any idea how can i get a hold of this game? The developer’s website says it’s no longer available for purchase.

No idea. The demo is still available though. What made you decide you want to play it?

Just have an itch for an FMV game. Haven’t played one in a while Smile

     
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There MUST be other FMV games you haven’t played yet. Here’s an incomplete list. Some have more FMV than others.

Completely FMV:
Anacapri (no cut scenes) - Blue Heat - Byzantine the Betrayal - A Quiet Weekend in Capri (no cut scenes) - The Capri Connection (no cut scenes) - 10 Carol Reed games (no cut scenes) - Casebook trilogy - Gabriel Knight: The Beast Within - In the 1st Degree - Midnight Stranger - Mode - Noir: A Shadowy Thriller - Santa Fe Mysteries 1 + 2 - Temujin - Voyeur 1 + 2 - Wrath of the Gods - Yoomurjak - X Files

Interactive Movies
Fork in the Tale - Night Trap - Point of View - Psychic Detective - Tender Loving Care - Urban Runner

Partly FMV:
7th Guest - 11th Hour – Alt-Minds - Amber – Aura - Bad Mojo - Black Dahlia – Blobjob   – Cassandra Galleries – Chaos: A Fantasy Adventure - City 2000 London - Congo: Descent into Zinj – Connections - Conspiracies 1 + 2 - Daedalus Encounter - The Dame Was Loaded - Dark Side of the Moon – Darkstar - Dust – Erevos – Fate by Numbers - Fork in the Tale - Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster - GAG – Ghostly Desires (erotic) - Ghosts - Golden Gate – Gord@k - Gothos - Hamlet: A Murder Mystery - Hard Evidence: the Marilyn Monroe Files – Harvester - Heart of China - Johnny Mnemonic - Journeyman Project 1 + 2 + 3 – Latex (erotic) - Lost in Time - Mark T. Ross: A Private in Paris - Mirage - Missing/In Memoriam 1 + 2 – Monty Python and the Search for the Holy Grail - Morpheus - The Morlov Affair – Mummy: Tomb of the Pharaoh –  Myst 1-5 - Noctropolis – Obsidian – Opsys - Panic in the Park – Paparazzi - Phantasmagoria 1 + 2 - Puppet Motel (multimedia experience) – Riddle of the Sphinx 1 + 2 - Quantum Gate - Rama - Reah – Realms of the Haunting – Riana Rouge - Ripper - Return to Zork - Riddle of Master Lu - Sacred Mirror of Kofun - Schizm – Search for the Golden Dolphin - SFPD: Body in the Bay – Sherlock Holmes: Consulting Detective – Shivers 1 + 2 – Sophie’s World - Spycraft - Synnergist - Tex Murphy 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 - Titanic: Out of Time – Treasure Quest - Vampire Diaries - Zelenhgorm - Zork GI - Zork Nemesis

     

See you around, wolf. Nerissa

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Wow that’s a pretty extensive list of games. Though I have played a few of them, I haven’t played the majority. Thanks for sharing this Smile

     
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Listen to Karlok, SoccerDude. She’s the boss. And also correct, this time.

(for a change)

     
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Nice list Karlok! There’s a few I haven’t heard of… looks like I might be getting my FMV on soon Smile

     

This message will self destruct in 3… 2… 1… BOOM!!!

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Karlok - 02 April 2015 07:25 PM

Quandary was solid and dependable. The Four Fat Chicks were interesting non-conformists.

Sure. I preferred the former for its great game reviews (these guys had the same taste as me and Steve Ramsey used to play AGs with his daughter, just like I do) but the latter had better (more obscure) screenshots.
I liked the way FFC used to designate a bad game - with a pile of poo!

Karlok - 02 April 2015 07:25 PM

Did you also visit Mr. Bill’s Adventureland?

Does a bear shit in the woods? I even know Mr. Bill (well, sort of).

I met him quite by accident.
2003, when I played Toonstruck for the first time, was the year I started wasting my precious time on the Internet. Being a newbie to the medium and not knowing who’s who, when a certain problem in the game occurred and I somehow stumbled on Mr. Bill’s e-mail address, I asked him for help. He helped me (of course), being a nice person he is and all (he sent me a saved game after the cauldron part which is another story), even though we’ve never met before and knew nothing about each other. Months (if not years) later I came across Mr. Bill’s Adventureland (a wonderful place for any AG enthusiast, the real labo(u)r of love) and I felt like I had asked a celebrity for a help. In 2004 he helped me again by sending me a couple of saved games from The Rose Tattoo (one after the stupid darts competition and the other at some place at the end of the game, I don’t recall what the problem was).

Karlok - 02 April 2015 07:25 PM

Mr. Bill had one goal in life: promoting adventure games. All adventures were good. None were bad. Just read his review of The Sydney Mystery. Mr. Bill sometimes made me feel like Duckman in the presence of Fluffy and Uranus.

Haha, what a simile!
Mr. Bill (and his Lela too) is one in a million. That place of his is really oozing the love for AG’s.
It’s at the top of my list of AG-related bookmarks:


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At the end of this mastodon of a post I’d like to give a hint for the folks in my favo(u)rite thread:

Sir Beardalot - 02 April 2015 11:16 PM

Reminds me of the Penumbra trilogy?!

It’s a humo(u)rous game, very far from Penumbra.
P.S. I’ll be back .

     

Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.

-Cary Grant

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Karlok - 02 April 2015 07:25 PM

What made you play this game? Not played The Last Express yet, no Tex Murphy, but the Sydney Mystery got your attention? You’ve got some explaining to do.  Tongue

This was back in 2003-2004 and this was the first time in a while that I saw a game advertised as “adventure”. And my adventure knowledge sucked at that time (and continued to do so until sometime after registering here)... Meh

zobraks - 03 April 2015 07:08 AM

P.S. I’ll be back .

So basically right after the Tour de France ends?

     

The truth can’t hurt you, it’s just like the dark: it scares you witless but in time you see things clear and stark. - Elvis Costello
Maybe this time I can be strong, but since I know who I am, I’m probably wrong. Maybe this time I can go far, but thinking about where I’ve been ain’t helping me start. - Michael Kiwanuka

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TimovieMan - 03 April 2015 03:27 PM
zobraks - 03 April 2015 07:08 AM

P.S. I’ll be back .

So basically right after the Tour de France ends?

Basically (and for all intents and purposes) exactly a year after I left.

     

Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.

-Cary Grant

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Is that Andy Murray?

     

Recently finished: Four Last Things 4/5, Edna & Harvey: The Breakout 5/5, Chains of Satinav 3,95/5, A Vampyre Story 88, Sam Peters 3/5, Broken Sword 1 4,5/5, Broken Sword 2 4,3/5, Broken Sword 3 85, Broken Sword 5 81, Gray Matter 4/5\nCurrently playing: Broken Sword 4, Keepsake (Let\‘s Play), Callahan\‘s Crosstime Saloon (post-Community Playthrough)\nLooking forward to: A Playwright’s Tale

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Who?

P.S. Greetings from “Big John”!
P.P.S. Big John my a… ha… ha… hey kids!
(as Krusty would have said)

     

Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.

-Cary Grant

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