Syberia
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (10 September, 2002)
list price: $19.99 -- our price: $19.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• A state-of-the-art 3D graphical adventure - each environment of the game benefits from deep and highly intricate graphical detail.
• Compelling and rich scenario: this 3rd person perspective, puzzle-driven adventure introduces logical problem solving mixed with a complex and highly involving storyline to completely immerse the player.
• The main character's personality evolves through the game - from a materialistic executive to a dreamy, romantic adventurer.
• Unique ambience throughout - the player will discover a magical world of intriguing automatons and meet amazing characters in beautiful and mysterious environments.

Reviews (198)

Syberia raised the bar on adventure games.
The scenery and graphics in this game is really fabulous. Just the buildings' architecture, colors and room views alone bring you into a place that is both modern but a hundred years old.

The story line is good and although I did have to get hints from the website - UHS Hints, to help along at the most challenging times, that only added to the pleasure of the game (any game) because I could move on.

The movements of the protagonist, Kate Walker, are surprisingly realistic, (although Syberia 2 made them even more fluid).

One or two tasks are repeated in each "chapter" with a slightly different manner, such as winding the train for power before you can leave to the next city, and this familiarity is a confidence booster. If every single scene had all new logic, it would drive me nuts.

I actually finished this game and played it again, then bought Syberia 2 to repeat the fun. I hope they make a Syberia 3.

So much wasted potential
I decided to buy this game a while back after reading such great reviews and was sorely disappointed.While the visuals were fantasic even the character movement and transistions flowed well on my dwindling PC; overall the game was too short.I managed to play the entire game in one sitting less than 3 hours with many, many, many breaks.

I enjoyed the 3rd person perspective as welcome change from other puzzle games (ie. Myst series).Converstations with other characters were usually rambling nonsense which one had to sit through to progress, the puzzles were simplistic, and in the end there isn't very much to this game.Its like playing connect the dots with an occasion errand to run every third dot.

The story line follows a young woman (you) looking for an old toy maker.To find him you'll have to ask towns peoples and rebuild some of his old toys.When you finally do find him and the game starts to get interesting it ends.You don't even go to Syberia!They should have called it "girl plays with complicated puppets".Okay maybe that title was too long.

Graphics are great but they sacrificed gameplay and story.

FInally! They get it right
An old fashioned adventure game. I mean a real adventure game. No shoot em ups, no ridiculous puzzles that don't make sense... just a really great game. Deserves the game of the year award. ... Read more

Asin: B00006AALC
Sales Rank: 533
Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. Action    3. Adventure   

Syberia 2
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (29 March, 2004)
list price: $29.99 -- our price: $29.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Features

• For 1 player
• Third-person fantasy adventure game trails Kate Walker on her voyage to Syberia
• Lush graphics and settings designed by comics pioneer Benoît Sokal
• Optimized graphics engine with dynamic lighting effects and more fluid animation
• 4 new locations and new and continuing characters from Syberia I

Reviews (55)

One of the good ones
If you like Atlantis & The Longest Journey you will like this.Not as good as the others, but good just the same.

A sequel that works
Oddly they did that too. They made a sequel that was just as great as the original. An old fashioned adventure game that doesn't want you to kill people (or things), just makes you think and use your head. Unlike the mindless shoot-em-ups being shoved down our kids throats today. And you don't have to save it every few minutes so that you don't get killed and have to start from the beginning. I loved it!

Really Fun Game!
I really enjoyed this game.I liked Syberia too, but I guess by this time, playing Syberia II I was used to all the little quirks that annoyed me in Syberia.The story line is fun (although I have to admit I still don't understand the obsession with the mammoths) the graphics are A+ and puzzles are interesting and related to game play.I don't want to give anything away, but I was actually sad at one part in Youkol Village - you'll know when you get there.

I highly recommend playing Syberia first and then Syberia II but Syberia II is by far the better one. ... Read more

Asin: B0000CDYOH
Sales Rank: 163
Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. Adventure    3. Strategy (Strategic)    4. Simulations    5. World Building (Builders)    6. Havas   

The Longest Journey: Adventure Game of the Year Edition
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (03 September, 2002)
list price: $11.99 -- our price: $11.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Before embarking on The Longest Journey, check yourpreconceivednotions of reality at the door. While this may play like a traditionaladventuregame, the story is anything but conventional. As art student April Ryan you'llsoon discover you have the ability to bridge two worlds--the 23rd-century,science-oriented Earth that you live in, and its counterpart, Arcadia, wheremagic is reality and technology is the stuff of legends. Telling you more thanthat would spoil the story, but suffice it to say that your ability to crossbetween the two worlds must be used to save both.

The game spans four CDs and needs all that space to hold both the gorgeousgraphics and hours of high-quality speech. Everyone you meet has plenty tosay,and you'll want to listen to everything because the game contains some of themost brilliant voice acting ever recorded. Each character has such a distinctand engaging voice that you could play this game with your eyes closed and itwould maintain much of its beauty, although you likely won't want to blinkafteryour first glimpse of the game's detailed environments. The graphics run at afeeble maximum resolution of 640 x 480 but are packed with enough atmosphereandanimation that they look great even on a large monitor.

The Longest Journey obviously excels from a technical standpoint, butit's the writing that really makes it memorable. April maintains a diary thatcan be read to give players further insight into the game's strange events,andinto April's mind as well. Lengthy conversations that seem tedious at firstlater serve to really make you care about the game's characters. They becomemore than simply people who exist to dispense items or tell you where to gonext, and it's fascinating to watch April develop as she slowly absorbs thegravity of the situation into which she's been thrust. This game may seem likethe longest--and most boring--journey at the beginning, but after a few hoursadventure fans and anyone else who likes a good story will probably wish itwould never end. (Note to readers: this game has an ESRB rating of Mature, andcontains a lot of adult language.) --T. Byrl Baker

Pros:

• Outstanding production values
• Terrific writing
• Should run well on practically any computer

Cons:

• Many of the puzzles are too contrived
• Game gets off to a slow start

... Read more

Features

Reviews (90)

An Adventuring Treat
The Longest Journey far surpassed my expectations. This is a highly immersive game that will draw you in and leave you wanting more! The animation is very good, excellent artwork, the music and especially the voice acting were truly superb. Like all adventure games there will be times when you will probably need to consult a FAQ as there are a couple of puzzles that are abstract if you don't get the backround on them before attemtping to solve them. All in all a very enjoyable game and I am looking forward to the upcoming sequal "Dreamfall".

Loved it more than Syberia series
This game is very similar in play to Syberia. However, I thought this game was superior in terms of the story, character development and mythology. It really pulled me into its world and left me wanting more. I won't give anything away, but my one disappointment is that the end of the game was a bit unresolved--it left me hanging, and there does not seem to be any sequel.

Also, if you want to play a game that has some gay characters in it, this one does, and in what I felt were positive portrayals. Interesting for a game that is a few years old, yet takes place in the future.

As far as gameplay goes, it was 3D scene-to-scene movement in third-person (you see your character walk around the screen). What I liked most was the feature that allows you to jump ahead while running by hitting the ESC key. This is invaluable if you need to return to places you've already been and don't feel like watching April stroll across a wide-open area.

It's not right that I review this game
It's not right that I review this game because I never really got through it. For three hours I roamed around listening to endless small talk from April's friends. The choppily drawn nineties animation wore me down. Eventually, I gave up. The box promised very cool things to come, but to be honest, the graphics were tedious, the interaction with characters so unbelievably boring, that I couldn't bring myself to continue.

... Read more

Asin: B00006JL1P
Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. Action    3. Adventure   

Escape from Monkey Island (Jewel Case)
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM (15 April, 2002)
-- our price: $9.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

LucasArts' Monkey Island adventure game series has been missedoflate. It has been too long since we've visited the anachronistic Tri-Islandareain a Monkey game stuffed with vivid characters, zany plot twists, andliberal use of awful and awfully funny puns. Thank goodness that the clumsy,bumbling, and utterly charming pirate hero Guybrush Threepwood returns inEscape from Monkey Island. Luckily for him so does his bride, ElaineMarley Threepwood; unluckily, it looks like the stubborn ghost pirate LeChuckmay be back as well. Or is he? We'd tell you but that would give away too muchof the vibrant and hilarious story line.

This is adventure gaming at its very best: sharp graphics, excellent voiceacting and writing, and solid puzzles throughout. LucasArts even included awalk-through that'll get any new players into the right mindset to solve thebizarre, convoluted, and convulsively funny pun-ridden puzzles in the game.Butplayers who rely on it are missing out. Sometimes it's much funnier to dothingsthe wrong way, because the sharp-minded developers probably already thought ofit and are ready to reward you with a humorous comment or action. Completelyhilarious, drop-dead gorgeous, and always innovative LucasArts proves once andfor all there is ample life left in the adventure genre. --Andrew S.Bub

Pros:

• Excellent voice acting and writing
• Very funny
• Challenging for players of all skill levels

Cons:

• The controls could be a little more streamlined

... Read more

Features

Reviews (24)

a GREAT game! .. but hard to sell:(
I absolutely loved this game!
The characters, the music, the art, the dialog .. it's all just done so amazingly well.
The worst part about it for me was when it ended .. I just wanted it to keep going.
I really, really hope they make another one.

Unfortunately a game like this is not easy to sell to the general gaming public. It's hard to advertise to people what is so great about it and because of that I would imagine that it's difficult to sell many copies.
I can only guess about the outrageous number of hours and the extreme amount of effort that must have gone into making this game.
I don't know how many copies have sold, but I don't think it's nearly enough to make up for the amount of work that went into it.

If you can manage to do so, I recommend playing all the other monkey island games first (in order) to really immerse yourself in the Monkey Island world.
Monkey Island 1 and 2 are pretty old so don't expect to be impressed with graphics or sound but they're both still great fun.
Monkey Island 3 (The Curse of Monkey Island) is a more recent release that is comparable to this game in quality .. even without the 3D graphics .. it too is a great game!

Good but not excellent-and stop trying to be funny, damn it!
OK, Monkey Island series have got to be one of the best adventure games ever(too bad that no one makes good adventure games anymore). Well, the fourth installment of the series seems to me like bunch of "wanna be" Monkey island stuff put together.Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad game. I LOVE the voice acting and music in the game; and I still like the characters (especially Murray!!). But the more I played the game, the more I felt as if makers of this game were trying way too hard to be funny to live up to what fans of MI have come to expect.

This game also has lots of bugs. In one part, I could not get out of a conversation because the game won't let me. I got stuck there until I found out from LucasArts website that there's nothing I can do about it.I ended up having to go back to where I had saved earlier and went over the same thing again (this is why you should save your game often, unfortunately).

You have to move Guybrush just right in the right position to get the right options appear on the bottom of the screen - this makes it very easy to miss important items. Then there's the stupid way of having to choose it. It is very annoying. Controls (which is very similar to Grim Fandango - if you haven't played GF, it is a must have game) are clumsy and confusing, but it is functional once you get used to it.It works for Grim Fandango, but it doesn't work for this game. I want the classic "point and click" back! I also hate having to continue to sit and watch guybrush run from point A to point B - I wish there was a better way than having to hold down directional buttom while I see the same scenery for the 20th time.

The puzzles are not bad. I actually enjoyed it until towards the end where you have to do some kind of baboon fight or something. Now, this is just stupid.

Overall, if you are a fan of MI, you should already have this game. Even if you are not, still you should definately give it a try for it is a good game.It is just not out of this world kind of game (it doesn't compare to the 2nd and 3rd MI - LeChuck's revenge/ Curse). I know I've been very negative about the game, but it is still a very good game.It has excellent voice acting, good story line and wonderful music.I'm just waiting for the 5th one to be made and hope that it'll go back to the original roots.

A bit disappointing...
Though this game is still very good, it's can't compete with "the curse of monkey island".The jokes were not as witty, they were a bit lame really, and the plot wasn't all that great either.I don't like the characters in their 3-D form, plus Guybrush didn't look anything like he did before, which bugged me.
Too bad, this game just didn't quite live up to it's potential. The curse is much better so I suggest you play that instead, or Grim Fandango which is an awsome game. ... Read more

Asin: B000063LGY
Subjects:  1. Computer Games    2. Adventure   

Curse of Monkey Island (Jewel Case)
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM
-- our price: $9.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

In the annals of computer adventure gaming, LucasArts' epic The Secret of Monkey Island remains as engrossing today--despite its obviously dated visuals and sound effects--as when it was first released. With its timeless story line and humor, The Secret of Monkey Island shaped adventure games for many years to come.

To the relief of longtime fans, LucasArts finally released the third game in the trilogy: The Curse of Monkey Island. Thankfully, its technical superiority to its predecessors doesn't come at the expense of a delightful and hilarious story line--The Curse of Monkey Island is every bit as good as its prequels.

Players once again assume the role of Guybrush Threepwood, an aspiring pirate who lacks the coordination and muscle tone to succeed as a swashbuckler. After unknowingly slipping a cursed diamond ring on the finger of his longtime love, Elaine Marley, Guybrush finds himself--and the player along with him--again battling wits with the nefarious (and very dead) pirate, LeChuck.

Utilizing a simple point-and-click interface, players guide Guybrush through hundreds of beautifully rendered scenes, meeting unique characters, collecting dozens of objects, and solving puzzles. Interacting with the eccentric inhabitants of LucasArt's comic Caribbean is one of the adventure's highlights; the excellent writing and dialogue make each new encounter even better than the last. The Curse of Monkey Island, with its Saturday-morning-like animated graphics, is suitable for all ages, though the tricky puzzle solutions may be a tad obscure for younger gamers. --Doug Radcliffe

Pros:

• Delightful story line and excellent dialogue
• Colorful, animated graphics
• Simple, easy-to-use interface
• Suitable for all ages

Cons:

• Some puzzles might be a bit obscure

... Read more

Features

Reviews (55)

COTI--A new classic
Another step in the succesful Tower Island series,though this misses
the charm of SOTI and TI2KJR,it is still a classic.Ever since the invention of Guybrush and his Magnon Croboys adventures he has been regarded as a computer-game saint.Now comes the next puzzly Nachitov
Croboys chapter.

Great jumping Monkeys! This game still rocks!
The Curse of Monkey Island is the 3rd game in Lucasarts' highly acclaimed graphic adventure series, and finds our hero Guybrush Threepwood tasked with removing a cursed ring that has turned his girlfriend into a gold statue.

My siblings and I dug this game out over the holidays, and (having memorized all the solutions to all the puzzles) went through it in one straight session. This game holds up surprisingly well for being close to a decade old. The graphics look like they were pulled straight from a cartoon, and only the pixelation in the cutscenes will hint at the game's true age. The voice acting is spot-on perfect (Alan Young, voice of Scrooge McDuck, has a hilarious role), with lots of clever dialogue and delivery and occasional references to Star Wars and other Lucasarts games. Puzzles are reasonably challenging without being too obscure, and most gamers should be able to find their way to the end without consulting a walkthrough too much, if at all.

The major strike against this game is that if you're not familiar with the Monkey Island series, a portion of the story and background will leave you scratching your head (such as why Guybrush starts the game floating in a bumper car in the middle of the ocean). The first two installments in the game were DOS-based, and they were old even when Curse of Monkey Island was new. There's actually a huge portion of the game at the end dedicated to sorting out all the various plot threads of the series, and new players might find this a little drawn out. Still, the basic premise of the game is simple enough to follow.

There's no guarantee this game will work on WindowsXP, but I've had no problems running it, so it's worth giving it a shot (a group of fans also developed programs to make the game run smoother, for those having difficulty with it). The Curse of Monkey Island is a classic game in a genre that has been criminally neglected in today's gaming industry.

best ever
easily one of the best point and click adventure games. end of story.... ... Read more

Asin: B00004WGVX
Subjects:  1. 3 (three III)    2. Adventure    3. Computer Games    4. Humor (Humorous humour humourous)    5. Great Deals (Outlet store)   

Grim Fandango (Jewel Case)
Average Customer Review:
CD-ROM
list price: $9.99
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Join Manny, the undead travel agent, and uncover a conspiracy to keep new additions to the underworld from buying a safe passage through purgatory. Grim Fandango combines a unique story line and complicated puzzles to create an adventure different from any you have experienced before. Follow Manny through four years of mystery on his quest for true love and eternal salvation.

The game opens to find Manny in search of the perfect client, one with the means to place them both on the fast track out of purgatory and into eternal paradise. Enter Mercedes Colomar, the client who has it all--beauty, brains, and enough money to buy them each tickets on the exclusive No. 9 train. Following the film-noir formula, Mercedes promptly vanishes, leaving Manny to solve the mystery behind her disappearance and her connection with the Department of Death.

With fantastic graphics--stylishly rendered in the film-noir style--and art from the Mayan, Aztec, and Mexican traditions, Grim Fandango is imaginative and appealing. The challenging puzzles call for attentive play and serious exploration of the Land of the Dead--not an unappealing job when surrounded by such beautiful animation. Include the original story line and humorous characters and you won't want to stop playing--we didn't!

... Read more

Reviews (120)

Soar like eagles on pogo sticks!
In the vein of Monkey Island and Space Quest, we have Grim Fandango, one of the funniest yet emotionally poignant video games ever released.

Manny Calavera is a Grim Reaper/travel agent who guides the recently deceased to the town of El Marrow to begin their four year journey of the soul in the Land of the Dead.He sells them packages to aid in their journey that vary depending on how well the "clients" has lived their lives.At the top of the line for the most righteous, they can qualify for a ticket on the "Number Nine express", a speedy train that will take them to paradise in four minutes rather than four years.If they've been somewhat less that good, they qualify for little more than a walking stick (though the compass in the handle will surely come in handy!) or being packed in a crate with foam.For reasons unxplained, Manny is forced to work in his dead-end sales job for a certain amount of time before he can even begin his own four year journey.In an act of desperation, he steals a competitors saintly client, Mercedes Colomar, to boost his sales and is shocked to find he can't qualify for anything more than the lowliest packages.Devastated, Mercedes runs away in tears leaving Manny wondering if someone is defrauding the system...

The game that follows is filled with great characters, a wonderful plot that pays homage to classic film noirs like Casablanca, the Maltese Falcon, and the Fat Man, and logical environmental puzzles that make sense to the context of the game.Though the game didn't sell well and we will most likely never see a sequel, own a piece of gaming history that you will treasure and quote with your friends for many years to come.

With bony hands I hold my partner
On soulless feet we cross the floor
The music stops as if to answer
An empty knocking at the door
It seems his skin was sweet as mango
When last I held him to my breast
But now we dance this grim fandango
And will four years until we rest.

Casablanca With An Art Deco Aztec Twist
Grim Fandango has a very retro feel, sort of like Casablanca with an Art Deco Aztec twist. The game centers around Manny Calavera who is attempting to stay honest and make sense out of a Hispanic day of the dead afterlife which has been corrupted by those who control that afterlife for their own gain. All while Manny pursues the love of his afterlife! Confused? Trust me, it will all make sense once you start playing and the dialog and graphics will impress you and keep you hooked. I've tried a lot of the adventure games and they all have their flaws. But Grim Fandango comes as close to perfect as any game ever will. The controls are a little irritating but not as much as some newer games. This is the best adventure game out there and I strongly recommend that you try it.

I Must Be Missing Something
I picked this up in a bargain bin because I had heard great things about Grim Fandango, now an admittedly older title.I had also played a demo of one of the Monkey Island games and found it hilarious.I greedily slapped down my ten bucks and looked forward to some fun.

The game is fun to listen to and watch.Filled with yucks aplenty, Grim Fandango is like participating directly in a wacky animated film.For this alone, Fandango earns high praise.As with the Monkey Island games, the voice acting and humor is top notch.

Sadly, gameplay suffers.If you read through enough reviews here at Amazon, you'll find that people like Fandango simply for its humor and style; most customers admit that they needed walkthroughts to get past the game's frustrating puzzles.I'm a puzzle fan, and I like a challenge, but there were simply too many moments in Fandango where the puzzles felt arbitrary. Logic rarely led to a solution; only trial and error did!For me, this weighed heavily--and I mean heavily--against the game.Humor and style, huge plusses no doubt, should still be secondary to gameplay (or at least equal).With Fandango, gameplay seems to be a less important means towards creative and hilarious ends.You'll need to decide if this is okay with you. For me, it wasn't.

For music reviews, visit http://unpaidrockcritic.typepad.com
... Read more

Asin: B00004WGW1
Subjects:  1. Humor (Humorous humour humourous)    2. Supernatural (Horror)    3. Computer Games    4. Adventure    5. Great Deals (Outlet store)