The Captain's Top Ten Commercial Graphical Adventure Games
Jan 29 '08 (Updated May 01 '09)
The Bottom Line My Top Ten Adventure Games that cost money... most of them are LucasArts, but not all.
Top Ten Commercial Graphical Adventure Games
I have always been fond of adventure games and particularly the LucasArts games - though I’m playing through all seven Kings Quest games at the moment and enjoying them, the getting killed repeatedly can be a bit of a drag! Revolution Software and Perfect Entertainment have a good showing too. My top ten is bound to be heavily biased towards the games that don’t tend to kill you if you get a puzzle wrong… There are 2D point and click classics as well as some 3D games here. Unfortunately some of the games I’ve yet to play but would like to - in particular Siberia - might not be able to run on Vista, but I haven’t given up hope of getting hold of them and making them work (whether they like it or not!!)
Here’s my list, in order as far as I can choose between them:
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The Curse of Monkey Island - the Third Monkey Island game has great cartoony graphics and a plot involving LeChuck trying to get his revenge (er… again - I wasn’t a fan of the second game which was actually called LeChuck’s Revenge - it was just too difficult for poor feeble-minded me!!). Possibly (though I can’t really decide) my all-time favourite adventure game - though obviously I would hate to be forced to choose just one!!
Zak McKraken and the Alien Mindbenders - this game had my sister and I playing for well over a year. Featuring a ludicrous plot about aliens taking over the world via a pulse sent through the phone line, this was as bizarre as they come - very funny, but with some fiendish puzzles. It featured a lot of mazes, which is an element of adventure games I’m not really keen on, but despite that I loved this games with its alien Elvis impersonator, two-headed gopher, jaded reporter Zak, and of course those nose glasses…
The Secret of Monkey Island - an all-time classic in anyone’s book, one of the truly iconic adventure games of all time. You play the part of Guybrush Threepwood, who wants to be a mighty pirate… starting off with three tasks and ending up battling a zombie pirate armed only with a bottle of grog, this had great jokes, great characters and above all great puzzles.
(The first 3 Monkey Island games can be bought together in the Monkey Island Archives - known as the Monkey Island Bounty Pack in the UK and presumably the rest of Europe - Click Here for the review.)
Grim Fandango - potentially the best of the 3D adventure games so far, you delve into a shady plot in the underworld. Think Cassablanca, but dead. Er.. sort of. Again this had great puzzles and a lot of humour.
Broken Sword 2: The Smoking Mirror - my favourite of the Broken Sword games, this has you playing George / Nico in an effort to uncover an ancient cult rising to power. Some of the best 2D graphics ever to grace the screen along with superb acting and a terrific original music score, this had atmosphere by the bag load. If only it had been slightly longer this could have been my number one!
Discworld Noir - the third, most original, and more importantly best of the Discworld games. Many of the familiar characters from the series are there, but also some new ones including the player character, the Disc’s first (and probably last) Private Investigator. What it loses in terms of being a bit too long-winded at times and a scarcity of inventory items it more than makes up for it with atmosphere, humour, and some good puzzles. Oh, and the plot is very good, too.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: The Graphic Adventure - one of two official games of the film (the other being an arcade adventure) , this captured the spirit of the movie and tied in the relevant characters and plot elements in a very effective way, while still maintaining its own individual style. It also tried to incorporate some mini-game action sequences into the game. Though this aspect of the game was only partially effective, it was an extremely enjoyable gaming experience and took a long time to beat, and of course the famous Indy humour game through. Those catacombs were very challenging…
The Day of the Tentacle - what do you do if a mutated purple tentacle goes back in time and conquers the world? Why, build a time machine in the shape of a toilet and flush yourselves back to stop him, of course! Often hilarious and always entertaining (if infuriating in places!), this is definitely one for the collection.
(Day of the Tentacle is available in a double-pack along with "Sam and Max" - Click Here for the review.)
Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon - after the two 2D games, the third Broken Sword game went 3D and added more puzzle elements, but managed to retain the spirit of the first two games rather effectively. The silly ending sort of spoiled things a little, but other than that you are gripped by the plot right from the opening sequence. The puzzle element is well implemented and in general serves to enhance the game rather than detract from it.
Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars - with a far better Templars plot than Dan Brown ever wrote, the first Broken Sword game was something of a revelation to me at the time. Though there is humour in places, this was possibly the first adventure game that I’ve played in which I was totally caught up in the plot and puzzles without the humour actually being necessary. It starts off with an explosion in Paris and ends up by an old church in England - what happens in between is superbly crafted.
Also recommended:
Escape From Monkey Island - Monkey Island going 3D wasn’t a good move, but I still enjoyed this fourth outing for Guybrush Threepwood and gang.
The Dig - one of the most atmospheric adventure games I’ve ever played, and with a good sci-fi plot to boot. Recommended if you’re a fan of either adventure games or sci-fi - highly recommended if you’re a fan of both!
Discworld 2: Mortality Bytes - not quite as fiendishly difficult as the first Discworld game, this is a nice one if you can get hold of it.
Operation Stealth - an old 16-bit game, James Bond with even cooler gadgets. Admittedly I wasn’t much good at it… but a fondly remembered adventure game nonetheless!!
It's also well worth checking out King's Quest Collection, the first 7 games in Sierra's classic games designed by Roberta Williams.
Journey to the Moon - a fantastic game by The Adventure Company inspired by two of Jules Verne's novels. Very varied and interesting, though I'll admit it's also pretty tough at times!
Sam & Max Season One and Two deserve a mention too - TellTale Games introduced the concept of episodic adventure games with the popular freelance police duo. The first season (6 games) is excellent and the second season (5 games), while not quite as good, is still really enjoyable.
Runaway: A Road Adventure helped breathed new life back into point and click gaming and is a solid game, though there's too much pixel-hunting for my liking! Wasn't as keen on the sequel though. There is a third game in production at time of writing this, so we shall have to see what that turns out like...
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Well, there we have it - another trip down my gaming memory lane. I hope you found it interesting or even stimulating! (Okay, I’d settle for interesting…)
If you’re feeling a bit skint, you could always try some of my Top Ten Freeware Adventure Games.
For more retro and modern gaming memories, see my Top 100 Computer / Video Games of All Time - a very personal list of the games I remember most fondly from the last 20 years or so.
Read Part One (Introduction and games 1-20)
Read Part Two (Games 21-50)
Read Part Three (Games 51-80)
Read Part Four (Games 81-100 and conclusion)
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