Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers

After reading the glowing reviews, I wonder if I was playing the same game. The graphics are crude, even by 1993 standards. The game interface is very clumsy, having to choose between so many controls; you can't just walk to a door, you have to "open" it as well. You can't just look at something, you have to choose the magnifying glass. It's difficult to know what to do next or what to look for. And the voiceover acting is BORING!!!

Gabriel Knight is my favorite game series of all time, so I was Disneyland-excited when this remake, helmed by series creator Jane Jensen, was first announced; not only as a full remake of GK1, but as a potential revival of the series. Flash forward a couple years and things didn't work out so rosy -- Jensen's design firm shuttered, her new IP Moebius flopped, and the GK1 remake didn't recoup enough to pay for its own development, let alone for a new entry. And while this was immensely disappointing, it's also not hard to see why. On paper it looks great -- the graphics, music, and interface have all been completely redone, with the writing intact. The problem is, the production is amateurish, and the updates lack the atmosphere and artistic vision of the original. The 3D models look like Sims characters. The animation is labored and slow. Even the music, which has been reimagined by original composer Robert Holmes, often sounds sloppy and overbearing. And if you can get past all that, there are some questionable design changes. The progression was "streamlined" to be sold and consumed episodically, which makes for a rigidly-linear experience. The aspect ratio and interface were designed specifically for iPads of the day. The sprinkling of new puzzles are of little value or service to the story. It all adds up to an unfortunate realization -- that this is a dumbing down of an adventure classic for the casual game market; an audience that neither appreciates nor deserves this title. It's not all bad though. It's automatically worthwhile just for being a remake of one of the greatest pnc titles of all time. It's great to revisit the characters and locales with new eyes. Some of the art is actually quite beautiful (the cemetery comes to mind). And even though the characters are recast, the new cast does a serviceable-to-excellent facsimile of the original all-star cast. Still, I can't in good conscience recommend this as an entry point to the series.

Havn't others languages? french, spanich or german subtitles?

I just get bored day after day until I couldn't go on anymore... I didn't finish it.