Adventure Gamers - Forums
You are here: Home → Forum Home → Gaming → Adventure → Thread
New posts
No new postsThe big “THE LAST EXPRESS” thread!
Sorry for doubling, if it is convenient, admin can delete this topic and I can copy my post from here to your topic
Or if an admin merges them, that’s good, too.
Your wish is my command.
Both threads have been merged into “The big “THE LAST EXPRESS” thread!”.
Thanks for this gentle touch - you are helping to create something that will be comparably interesting as the old topic, hopefully! 
I really should get around to playing The Last Express.
Or better: I should stop getting sidetracked by non-adventure games all the time. The Last Express is just sitting there as one of my next games in line to be played. It’s totally within sight…
That’s great to hear and I must say I envy you. As I have already mentioned somewhere, I wish part of my memory was erased and I could play TLE not knowing where to go, what to do etc. Anyway, I am looking forward to hear your opinion - fresh view is very welcome!
We truly need Jordan Mechner back in the video game industry! It’s a bit of a shame that his passion is divided between movies and video games, because his work for video games is much more important and influential, I feel. He’s such a brilliant writer!
I feel JM is recently more into games, but it is truth I have no idea how his screenplay projects (Fathom) are going… Of course, porting TLE and Karateka (later this year) to modern devices is not comparable to creating something *NEW*, but I hope it will be the next step. I am sure if Jordan Mechner creates another game, it will be revolutionary, just as The Last Express. As to his movies, I watched JM’s Chavez Ravine documentary on Netflix (twice), it was interesting. But I agree we need another video game designed by him.
(...)
I would absolutely be thrilled at a film version of TLE. It’s easily a top 5 story ever among adventure games. Hell, it’s a better story than what’s found in most Hollywood movies. It makes me sad that the game was so poorly marketed and commercially received. It’s a monumental artistic piece of work.
I agree the story is great and it could work as a movie. If only the variety of languages was kept there, subtitled, not dubbed to uniform English. No news about the movie, but this mention by Jordan Mechner tells something about his idea of TLE as a movie, which I find interesting:
“To follow the POP analogy,” Mechner elaborates, “if Last Express were a movie, it wouldn’t be a Disney-Bruckheimer summer blockbuster.” The movie analogues are different. “It’s closer to Alfred Hitchcock or Graham Greene — a thinking person’s thriller, like The Third Man or Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, about a particular moment in 20th-century European history, with some elements that are quite dark and even tragic.”
http://kotaku.com/the-last-express/
Anyway, reviews of iOS version of TLE keep coming on websites and blogs…
Here are those I find interesting (to be updated):
Alternative Magazine review (added on October 13th)
Toucharcade review
TouchGen review
http://www.claviscryptica.com/2012/10/03/the-last-express/
http://www.slidetoplay.com/story/the-last-express-review
Youtube review by AppSpy.com
The Last Express - Universal - HD Gameplay Trailer
Everyey.it (Italian review)
mobinfo.pl (Polish review)
Ireviewt.com (German review)
Discussion about TLE iOS at Toucharcade forum
http://www.g4tv.com names TLE Game of the week:
Dot Emu is the team responsible for the fabulous port of classic Another World, and they’ve really impressed us with their newest effort, a port of the mystery/adventure classic The Last Express. The first time The Last Express was in gamers’ hands, it was back in 1997. Today, it translates well to the iPhone and iPad, offering a rich and intriguing story, hand-drawn animation, and solid voice acting.
The story takes place in 1914, on one of the most famous trains in history, the Orient Express. You play as Robert Cath, a mysterious man who’s boarded the moving train in order to meet up with his friend, Tyler Whitney. I don’t want to spoil it for you, but a few minutes into the game, it’s obvious things aren’t going according to plan.
One thing we love about The Last Express is that it takes place in real time, over a train ride from Paris to Istanbul. And we hope you’re a master sleuth, because events will happen whether you’re there to witness/hear them or not, so you’ll want to be sharp and efficient as you solve the mystery that unfolds around you. The Last Express is a wonderful port of a game; it’s tough, but that makes reaching the end all the more satisfying.
I think I’m going to dig up my copy of this game and see if I can get it to run. Sadly, I suspect it won’t, but hey, it was a great game, and I haven’t replayed it in years. I’d consider DLing the version on DotEmu.com to see if that runs, but I’m shy six dollars at the moment.
And I STILL think this game needs a sequel of some sort, even if it were simply another Jordan Mechner period story with perhaps cel-shading 3D instead of all the blue screen and Rotoscoping they did in the original. I’d line up for that, regardless of what the critics said.
Lee Edward McIlmoyle,
Probably NOT the kind of guy you think he is.
There is - if I understand that right - a competition by DotEmu for twitter users, where you can win The Last Express for iOS: check it here.
I think I’m going to dig up my copy of this game and see if I can get it to run. Sadly, I suspect it won’t, but hey, it was a great game, and I haven’t replayed it in years. I’d consider DLing the version on DotEmu.com to see if that runs, but I’m shy six dollars at the moment.
And I STILL think this game needs a sequel of some sort, even if it were simply another Jordan Mechner period story with perhaps cel-shading 3D instead of all the blue screen and Rotoscoping they did in the original. I’d line up for that, regardless of what the critics said.
If you have XP, you can run both original release and DotEmu release without problems, I have both 1997 discs and collector’s edition by DotEmu (link). In case you have Win 7, I have read this hint to make it run: “DO NOT install the game from the autorun menu, instead just manually copy “EXPRESSW, HD.HPF, MFC42.DLL and MSVCRT” from the disc and paste them on your desktop. Double click on EXPRESSW.”
Look what I found:
The Last Express crossover trailer on YouTube
This crossover/parody/spoof trailer for TLE iOS release made me laugh…
I just have to post this great find:
Donald Grahame, Lead 3D artist of The Last Express (= the man who recreated Orient express to its historically accurate digital beauty), has website, at which you can enjoy great stuff - to quote him: “(...) [it] shows some of the resource material I used in making the train in the game (...).” Well, it might not sound that exciting, but just see the links below for yourself! It is incredible! I am really happy, because I did not have even slightest idea this existed…
EDIT: Oh, I just found out, there is more, so search the website from this link:
http://danceofthebees.com/old_website/wr.htm#
(Some of the photos are offline, but most of the stuff is still there.)
Check out also this link:
http://danceofthebees.com/TEAR4.html
http://danceofthebees.com/
http://danceofthebees.com/old_website/LAH1.htm#
http://danceofthebees.com/old_website/LAH2.htm#
http://danceofthebees.com/old_website/wrbib.htm
After thorough checking - very interesting, you get a very good glimpse to the production and backcground (with some controversy, but how could there not be one - in such a huge project taking many people and many years - and of course many different opinions and approaches). And yes, Donald Grahame is not a big fan of TLE story :-)
(...) I think the storyline of this adventure game has it good points, aided by the immersive design of the game, but I think the rather cliched, rambling, and ultimately racist plot, and the game’s often annoying gameplay, are the game’s weakest points: but those shortcomings are strongly balanced by Jordan Mechner’s support of plenty of historically and geographically accurate plot elements, and the immersive real-time “semi-3d” game environment. (...)
Jordan Mechner did some Q & A with fans today. A few mentions of The Last Express and what he’s currently working on.
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/14e6p3/im_jordan_mechner_creator_of_prince_of_persia_and/
There’s something about it that seems incredibly well thought out. The developers did their research, they knew what they wanted to do and were highly competent in doing it. It never feels like a bunch of developers were sitting around in their studio and one of them says “hey why don’t we do this?”. And it’s not just that it takes itself very seriously - it’s also the mature subject-matter which sets it apart from high-profile mainstream games.
It might not be my all time favorite game, but I think if someone asked me to show them what adventure gaming is I might just give them The Last Express. Games like these really give a good name to AGs.
Like I said in the original post, I think TLE is possibly the pinnacle adventure gaming achievement.
OK, now… something for more insane TLE gamers… ***Spoiler alert for TLE beginners***
I now replayed the game on iOS and had the feeling I found another variation of the sequence after you free Anna (unbind her). I think there are not only 3, but 4 variations depending on wheter you read Schmidt’s letter, Kronos’s spy letters, letter to Anna and possibly if you follow her to her compartment and even more actions might be important. Let me know if you have any more ideas, I might check it out more later, but I do not have so much time now…
This below is what I wrote in the old topic (forum), so I now included additions:
CD3: CATH - ANNA conversation
There are 4 possibilities of cutscene with Anna after you win the fist fight against one of the Serbs and unbind her:
1. They kiss (after Robert says: “Why would they kill me? They’d only kill you…” or something like that) and Anna goes to stop the train.
!!! 2. the newly found one: After Robert says jokingly: “Why would they kill me? They’d only kill you…”, Anna leaves promptly and looks really angry. !!!
- this was “triggered” this way: 1) I read letter to Anna, 2) I intentionally left there and was caught by her after the concert, cause it is a nice cutscene , 3) I was not in Schmidt’s compartment, 4) I did not check Kronos’s spy letters, (+ for sure I mention also these facts: 5) I did not have conversation with August before Vienna (“Cigar? The best Havana!”) and I also 6) missed Milos thanking me after I showed Schmidt the gold…) AND 7) I did not go to her compartment before Budapest, which can also be important (I only approached her in corridor, but waited outside and then Serbs striked…
3. They quarel, Cath explains both she and Schmidt were set up and Anna goes to stop the train, with Cath saying: “Anna, wait”
4. Cath says “it doesn´t matter” and Anna goes to stop the train
In The Official Strategy Guide there is a mention about the 1st and 3rd possibility… If you read a letter in her drawer, you get the 3rd option, I guess. If you don´t, you get the 1st. Well, I can say that I read the letter and also got caught in her compartment and strangely enough I got 4rd option. For the first time after so many replays…
It’s been 15 years since I have played The Last Express - the original full version - for the first time, so today I am replaying it from those old 3 CDs on my comp. 15 years anniversary, that is a good excuse… And well, I have another find (for huge fans of TLE) which is not really that great, but you might like it. Some of you have probably already done this, but I - for the first time - really jumped up in my compartment on the box and then on the bed an looked from this high at my beautiful compartment. You can also jump on Rebecca’s box in the girl’s compartment (but nothing more). But in your compartment you can really wander in this heigh and see all those details from new angles…
Anyway, merry Christmas and I wish you plenty of time for whatever you want to do - e. g. playing great adventure games or reading wonderful books! ;o)
Jordan Mechner will be signing books at San Diego Comic-Con International this weekend, and doing an AMA on reddit.
Friday 10:00 - “Graphic Novels: Words & Pictures” Panel in Room 23ABC
Friday 11:30 - Signing books in Autographing Area (AA09)
Friday 2:30 - Signing books at First Second Books Booth (1323)And for those who can’t make it to SDCC, you can still “Ask Me Anything” on reddit, Saturday (July 20) at 10 am Pacific time (1 pm Eastern).
Just to let you know, if you want to ask Jordan something about his work, e.g. The Last Express or his new comic book Templar…
EDIT: here’s the link to reddit IAmA - http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/14e6p3/im_jordan_mechner_creator_of_prince_of_persia_and/
This part is interesting for us, TLE fans:
Q: There has recently been talk of a The Last Express movie. Is it really happening?
The Last Express is definitely my favorite game - after the new Karateka game, are you considering another game in that universe? Maybe a prequel?
A: Thanks! Director Paul Verhoeven and I really want to make the movie happen. We’re very close to having a screenplay everyone is happy with, but there are a lot of next steps, including securing financing. It’s not as big a movie as Prince of Persia, but it’s not exactly small either. I mean, there’s a train, and (spoiler alert) bad things happen to it.
Q: Why did you pick Paul Verhoeven or why did he pick you? Or did he contact you or you contact him? Basically how did you and Paul Verhoeven get together to make the movie? Would you have picked any other director? Who do you have planned for the cast? What is your ideal cast for Cath and Anna Wolf and other main characters? Will you be casting unknowns?
I have loved the Last Express and bought it when it came out on iOS. I wish you made something similar along those lines. I learnt all about European history because of that game.
A: Thanks! How it happened: Our film agents set up a meeting, and we hit it off. I’d been a fan of Paul’s films since the 1980s, Robocop and Flesh and Blood (which by the way remains one of my overlooked cult-favorite medieval fims, and was also a big inspiration for TEMPLAR)... but it was his most recent, “Black Book,” that sealed it for me (if I needed convincing) that he would do an amazing job of directing “Last Express.” Because Last Express is not only an action thriller, but also a story that’s specifically about a certain moment in 20th century European history, it needs a director that is comfortable in both worlds, and Paul is one of the few who is brilliant at bridging them (as Black Book does). The experience of working with him for a year developing the script was great and rewarding and taught me a lot about film storytelling (even though we haven’t made the film yet).
For casting, that is all tied up with financing, so nothing to say at this point, although of course it’s fun to daydream.
I think there are not only 3, but 4 variations depending on wheter you read Schmidt’s letter, Kronos’s spy letters, letter to Anna and possibly if you follow her to her compartment and even more actions might be important. Let me know if you have any more ideas, I might check it out more later, but I do not have so much time now…
I have all the files (cutscenes, animations, dialogues etc.) converted from the game, and I think there were more than 3 variations. I haven’t checked all files yet.
Some of you have probably already done this, but I - for the first time - really jumped up in my compartment on the box and then on the bed an looked from this high at my beautiful compartment.
I have seen those screens in my collection, but always wondered how to trigger them, thanks.
Has anyone played the iOS version of Last Express?
Is it the complete game or did they cut part of it?
Has anyone played the iOS version of Last Express?
Is it the complete game or did they cut part of it?
I did. It is complete game… Well, without the beautiful ending credits with changing map of Europe. Other than that - it is complete and there are few things added (such as a blueprint of the train in your inventory).
You are here: Home → Forum Home → Gaming → Adventure → Thread
