The Quest for Glory series isn't like other Sierra adventure titles; it's in a special class of its own. Combining the traditional adventure game format with a heavy dash of role-playing elements and outrageous cartoon humor, the QFG games gave you the choice to play the game your own way. You play as a fighter, a thief, or a wizard (and later a paladin) as you traverse a universe inhabited by bouncing walruses, walking waffles, friendly dinosaurs and talking lions. You can import your character through each of the game's five entries, which run the gamut of locales including medieval Germany, Persia, the jungles of Africa, Transylvania and ancient Greece. Each game has several distinct paths and allows many combinations of puzzle solutions. The Quest for Glory universe is more memorable, fun and cohesive than other gameworlds of its time; and whereas I find the earlier entries of a lot of comparable series hard to play today, I wouldn't recommend skipping a single entry. GOG generously decided not to split up this package, which really should be experienced as a whole. The series maintains more relevance and replayability than anything else of its class; and for all six entries, it's hard to turn down the $10 price tag if you don't already have these must-own classics.
I'm a steadfast defender of the third Gabriel Knight game, which is often maligned even within the GK fan community. Its flaws have been well-documented -- a couple questionable puzzle designs, some awkward 3D modeling and environmental design, and some rather cartoony voice performances. No one really talks about the daring design experiments that GK3 brought to the tired-and-dying adventure game formula. The dev team had a 3D mandate thrust upon them and still did their best to incorporate it as an inventive design element, allowing the player total control over the camera. They also allowed for a very freeform investigative experience, giving you tools of the trade like a computer, fingerprint duster, eavesdropping device, tape recorder, etc. so that rather than using dumb luck, you can use actual investigative methodology. The setting is a phenomenal facsimile of a persistent world, especially for the time -- characters move from location to location, events happen whether you're there to witness them or not, and the clock moves forward. If you don't keep your wits about you, you can blunder your way into missing a good third of the game. The plot is as good as the previous two entries, an excellent blend of historical fact and fiction that feels like it just might be real and only you know about it; something that author/designer Jane Jensen excelled at in her heyday, and probably the reason she found more success as a writer than in the game industry. It's certainly not perfect. I don't know that many 90s adventure games hold up to scrutiny today, but I think objectively it's a more substantive and rewarding experience than at least 70 or 80% of adventure games from the 90s. I can't help but feel Gabriel Knight 3 was the unfortunate victim of journalistic bloodlust.
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.
