jtrippy's reviews on GOG.com

Created on 16 June, 2019 12:53

Created on 22 August, 2018 23:12

Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers – 20th Anniversary Edition

Great, but not the reboot GK deserves

This update of one of adventure gaming's crowning achievements is a stellar effort from a small studio (Phoenix under the direction of creator Jane Jensen), but the franchise deserved so much more than they were capable of giving. GK20 is essentially an attempt to appeal the series to a newer and more casual audience, particularly mobile gamers. As such, many of the most notable mechanical changes are for the sake of streamlining and linearity. These changes I don't mind. What I did find slightly jarring were some of the dialog and puzzle changes, most of which, with a couple exceptions, struck me as completely arbitrary. The graphics are an inevitable improvement considering the 20 year technological gap, but here's one of the biggest criteria this remake falls flat. These graphics were not cutting edge 10 years ago, let alone 5. They don't even hold a candle to, say, Syberia, which had come out 10 years before. The voice acting is another inevitable change here, and for the most part I think it's pretty spot-on. While GK himself sounds a little more lethargic than how Tim Curry voiced him, he's mostly a dead-ringer. Leah Remini's hard-to-fill shoes were recast pretty admirably. My biggest complaint here is the narrator, who is a pale and inconsistent immitation of the original, and sounds like a white lady trying to do a caricature of a black voice. What GK deserves is a reboot in the style of Quantic Dream or Naughty Dog games. I'd contrast GK20 with the recent reboot of King's Quest. KQ lacked the original creative force and feel of the franchise, but had great production values and graphics. GK had all the right creative talent but lacked those production values, and as such, largely failed in its goal to revitalize the series. At the very least, however, it is an amazing revisitation of the classic for fans of the series.

7 gamers found this review helpful

Created on 02 November, 2015 11:05

Created on 12 July, 2012 03:42

One of GOG's greatest gems

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.

3 gamers found this review helpful

Created on 12 November, 2011 09:27

Created on 03 December, 2010 05:42

Created on 03 December, 2010 05:35

Updated on 21 January, 2022 08:12

Gabriel Knight 3: Blood of the Sacred, Blood of the Damned

A misunderstood, experimental design

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.

19 gamers found this review helpful

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