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Fate of Atlantis…really?
Fate of Atlantis isn’t the fastest paced or funny adventure game Lucasarts ever released, but I’d argue that it’s a damned good and intriguing Indy story with beautiful graphics (for the day) and some brilliant gameplay. The three different paths you could take, the globe trotting, the locations, there is so much of this game that comes back to me now I’m typing this.
^ This. Nothing but unconditional love for this game from me. Even with the poor fighting mechanism.
The three paths (wits/team/fists) and a couple of semi-random puzzles add a level of replayability seldom seen in the genre (especially back then).
It was a top notch adventure game back in the day (and still is), and people rightly remember it that way. Maybe you should have played it back in the day, I don’t know. It’s very much a product of its time.
^ Also this. FoA will always have a special place in my heart as it was the game that made me fall in love with the genre…
Perhaps I should do a replay one of these days to see how it has aged.
I replay this every odd couple of years and personally I think it’s aged pretty well. The graphics still look nice enough and most of the gameplay elements (except the dated verb selection and the lack of fast-travel options) are more or less timeless.
I do remember thinking the music was rather lacklustre, though.
Reasonable point, but when I first played the game, I was just ecstatic to hear the Indy theme through my then-new Sound Blaster Pro card… 
Besides, it’s not like the music is bad. Personally, I think it’s on par with that of The Secret of Monkey Island, but a step back from Monkey Island 2.
The main problem with the game though, is Sofia. In the history of humanity, there has never been a more horrid, useless, embarrassingly boring character created. She gets in the way EVERY time, is annoying, painfully stupid, does zero to solve a single problem, and does a million things to slow you down, and force you to help her “catch up” with what you already know. Seriously, she’s like, insulting to all female characters, and women in general. Just horrible, horrible writing. She’s supposed to be this tough, spunky, yet feminine hybrid of Marion and Willie, but in practice she ends up making my colon quiver.
Wasn’t Willie also your classical “damsel in distress” who does nothing but get in the way?
Edit: what xxax said.
Anyway, like has been suggested (and like you found out yourself), the wits and fists path have a minimal presence of Sophia Hapgood…
Personally, I like the wits path best (because it has the most puzzles, including a surprisingly fun car chase in Monaco), but the team path always felt the most like an Indiana Jones movie.
The fists path I like least since it has the least amount of puzzles and a fistfight on every corner (the “sucker-punch” keyboard shortcut is invaluable if you want to try that path 
).
Would love to know why I’m wrong here, as I’m still scratching my head about Fate of Atlantis…
You’re not wrong, you just didn’t like the game as much as you’d wanted. Having a different opinion doesn’t make you wrong, you know. Just like my nostalgia-fueled love for this game isn’t wrong either. 
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
I’m pretty sure Monkey Island 2 had the LucasArts moniker first.
You’re right, and I knew that it had it, but I was under the impression that FOA came out first—apparently, I was mistaken! They are about 6 months apart, but MI2 was first.
I’m trying to figure out how you hate Sofia but like Elaine. They are practically the same character.
I had this game on the Amiga - at the time I loved it - an excellent game.
However, that was many moons ago and I don’t believe that any game made at this time period will age perfectly.
I have gone back and played an old classic Amiga adventure or two and they do indeed look and play very dated.
I enjoy playing adventure games on my Alienware M17 r4 and my Nintendo Switch OLED.
FOA was a revelation compared to other adventures of the time. No other game has captured the feel of a globe-trotting Indy adventure better (at least among Indy games.) It was lightyears beyond the Last Crusade adventure game (which was also awesome, in its own way.) I feel sorry for anyone who didn’t grow up with this game. You’ve missed out on something that can never be reclaimed.
Horrible game, the controls are horrible, the game is confusing, could never get past this part:
Oh, the adventure game, it’s one of the best ever made, probably my most replayed adventure game (except fot the final part), of course the fact that is one of the first adventures I ever played and made me learn some english probably has an impact in my opinion.
Badass intro:
Oh, the adventure game, it’s one of the best ever made, probably my most replayed adventure game (except fot the final part), of course the fact that is one of the first adventures I ever played
Same - that and Gabriel Knight are still the pinnacle of the “serious” adventure genre.
If any of the early Lucasarts games are overrated, it is Day of the Tentacle, which seems to get excused of all its sins because of the Tim Schafer idolatry, the “complex” time-switching and the admittedly cool villain. It was hugely underwhelming at the time and I like it even less after replaying it.
I’m trying to figure out how you hate Sofia but like Elaine. They are practically the same character.
Never said I like Elaine, but thinking about it, Elaine is a actually super-capable character who’s’ always off taking care of something. Sofia gets in the way all the time. Even in “Temple” Willie does a little good now and then…
If any of the early Lucasarts games are overrated, it is Day of the Tentacle
If we’re into general iconoclasty now, this is the thread to do it in: http://www.adventuregamers.com/forums/viewthread/2897/
If any of the early Lucasarts games are overrated, it is Day of the Tentacle
Opinions are like… well… you know.
Everybody wants to be Cary Grant.
Even Me.
-Cary Grant
FOA was the first of its kind in many ways. It innovated and simplified the Scumm engine, added a graphical inventory, was the first major adventure game to include branching narrative paths, and pushed VGA adventure game graphics forward notably (compared to earlier Lucasarts games, that is.) Also, as I recall, this was the first game to be saddled with the “Lucasarts” monicker (as opposed to Lucasfilm.) Not that that matters much, but a fun fact.
I’m pretty sure MI2 did all of this first.
edit: @Lambonius
Sorry, I just read your second comment, where you corrected yourself.
That being said FoA was, is, and always will be one of the brightest gems from the Golden Age of Adventures, a period when this genre reached its pinnacle.
I just replayed it after twenty years or so and I loved it. Indeed, save the remarks about Sophia all the bad things CaptainRottingham mentions are true, but a fast left index finger and a good mouse solve those problems. About Sophia being a horrible character: you have obviously never payed Paradise ;P
I stand firmly behind TimovieMan concerning his opinions on this game.
About Sophia being a horrible character: you have obviously never payed Paradise ;P
Now I am a bit confused, I understand that we that like Paradise is the minority on this forum, but what has Paradise and Sophia from FoA got to do with each other?
And talking about characters that only get in your way, NO ONE beats Thorin from The Hobbit in this discipline.
You have to play the game, to find out why you are playing the game! - eXistenZ
Let me quote CaptainRottingham:
The main problem with the game though, is Sofia. In the history of humanity, there has never been a more horrid, useless, embarrassingly boring character created.
Anne (I never found out her real name because I quit the game in utter disgust) is a better candidate for this description than Sophia.
Because of this thread, I just replayed FoA and found out that I never ever tried the “wits” path. What a different game I found! And to put fire in the air: the path I choose was the path that made me enjoyed the game more!!! I just love this game! Sorry, CaptainRottingham, but this game is awesome!!!
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