Grim Fandango Remastered

For everyone else who has the "everything is black" issue, the problem is that the game defaults to "updated" graphics, which apparently you're not really meant to use. Hit backspace to fall back to the original graphics, and the game becomes playable.

I've been waiting a long time for this: Grim Fandango has been remastered to work on modern operating systems. Now you can enjoy the game without dealing with the hassle of getting it to work. One of LucasArt's best point & click adventure titles, Grim Fandango cleverly mixes neo-noir with Mexican/Aztec folklore and rat fink. You play Manny Calavara, travel agent at the Department of Death. You help the recently deceased get to where they need to go. But not all is well in this town as Manny finds himself in the middle of conspiracy and corruption. His ticket out of there is on the loose, and he needs to track her down. The remastered version brings new high-res character textures, dynamic lighting, a live symphony orchestral soundtrack, developer commentary and the fact that it actually works on modern OS's. The game is still 4:3, but you can stretch it to 16:9 as the backgrounds did not get remade (though not recommended). The high-res character textures certainly bring Manny back to life, but perhaps don't do as much for secondary characters. The real treat is getting to hear this fantastic soundtrack with a live symphony. This is truely one of the all time greats, and it weaves in and out of the quirky visuals to deliver an immersive experience. Movie fans should take note of this story, as it mixes elements from classics like The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca with Brazil. All with a Day of the Dead settings. If you've played the original, this is worth picking up to relive the amazing soundtrack in its new life. If you don't enjoy a slow paced game, or typical point & click puzzles, this may not be the game for you. To see the game a little more before you buy it, you can check out my playthrough here http://youtu.be/DWtNeqjluM0?list=PLZbmcHZ8TjKeZorXxcvTt3XHR0sosTo9G

Third Tim Schafer game I played and didn't like. The high rating and rapt reviews are due to a self-selection bias. A regular gamer reading this is unlikely to be in the target audience. If you don't already love point-and-click adventures, don't bother. The quirky aesthetic is "lolrandom" and superficial; this bland "good bad boy" story might as well be set in 1960's New York. The inventory UI is infuriatingly slow for "artsy" reasons. Too many puzzles are unlogical; you will reach for a walkthrough and gain no satisfaction, or spend hours in frustration. Too much busywalking from place to place. If the above doesn't dissuade you, congratulations and have fun.

It truly is a "tale of corruption in the land of the dead." My brother and I landed on this game when it was new, and we had no idea what to expect from it. Decades later, we both agree it's worthy on the lists of 10-best Adventure Games of all time. Manny(Manuel) Calavera is an agent of the Department Of Dead(DOD). Manny doesn't seem to be able to fulfill his quota of selling departed souls their deserved tickets to the Number-Nine train to the underworld, so he goes investigating, drawing a demon(Glottis) and another soul (Mercedes Colomar) into his investigation. With voice acting by Tony Plana as Manny, it's an exceptional adventure. "My scythe. I like to keep it close to where my heart used to be."

The game is quite hard, but what is really upsetting me is that there is a massive bug in it. The main character has totally disappeared from the screen and I cannot interact anymore with the environment. So I need to restart the game from scratch, and this is rather upsetting knowing the long time of reflexion implied by this game...