I’m not a big consumer of video games, especially action oriented FPS kind of things, or RTS either. These are the two kinds that dominate the market.
I have always been a fan of adventures, starting with my experiences on the ZX Spectrum (Espionage Island) the Apple ][e (Transylvania) and then on to LucasArts on the Amiga (Zak McCraken, Monkey Island)
Anyhoo, the Myst games are perfect for me - slow, atmospheric, difficult, beautiful - I love em. And I want to play some of those Myst clone games out there, but fear that they’ll be crap.
One I’ve seen is Schism, another appears to be set in the Mayan Pyramids.
Has anyone played these types of games, and can recommend me the best in that range? The ones that really do emulate the Myst thing without feeling like a cheap ripoff, or have just the right mix of beauty and difficulty?
Drowned God is almost at the level of rip-off with respect to Myst when it comes to game structure, but the subject matter is different enough that you might like it.
You might also want to try Zork: Nemesis or Zork Grand Inquisitor. Both are a few years old, so don’t expect too much in the way of WOW! graphics, but they both have decent puzzles and storylines. ZGI is funny (on purpose), Nemesis is not (on purpose).
Have you looked at Morrowind? It’s a little more fighting oriented than Myst, but the world is so beautiful and the story so intriguing that you really can just wander the world looking at things. There’s also plenty of quests that are not your typical “hack and slash” type things - I recently completed one that required me to do pilgramages to shrines all over the continent.
Well for beauty I would have to rank “Syberia” at the top. It also just won the award for Best Graphics (Artistic) on PC over at Gamespot. The game got great reviews but I found it a tad boring. The story is really interesting and unique but I didn’t think there were enough puzzles. Grim Fandango is probably my favorite game of all time and Longest Journey would be my second favorite in the adventure genre. If you don’t mind your games a little slow, check out “Syberia”
This seems to me to be like saying Gran Turismo is a bit more racing-oriented than Frogger. (Although I think a really ambitious mod team could make a remarkable adventure game out of the engine; out-of-the-box, not so much.)
Just about any LucasArts adventure title will be good. I will always have a fond place in my heart for “Day of the Tentacle,” and stands out in my memory in having really great solutions to puzzles–ones that rarely left me feeling that it was sensible only in a “combine everything with everything” sort of way, there was a twisted cartoon logic through it all. Although extremely short, props also to “Full Throttle.”
It’d probably be really tricky getting it to run on modern machines (it was twitchy enough on then-current old ones) but “The Seventh Guest” struck me as being similar to Myst–atmospheric surroundings, no reflexes involved; but the puzzles are simply logic puzzles, rather than being tied to the environment in any strong way.
If you want point and click slideshow gameing, Sierra’s Lighthouse is neat. I never finished it, but its atmospheric and has creepy puzzles…
But really, nothing beats the LucasArts adventures.
Obsidian, which may be hard to find now, is very much patterned after Myst. But it has some great puzzles (many done by Scott Kim if you want to get an idea ) and pretty good atmosphere. (The first segment is the most detailed; it’s a confusing bureaucracy heavily inspired by Brazil).
I’m not interested in Morrowind. The DnD type quest games don’t appeal to me at all. Anything that is reliant on hack and slash or strategy leaves me cold.
I have played almost all the LucasArts adventures - I’m looking forward to teh new Full Throttle game that’s coming - though I never completed Day of the Tentacle, and currently it’s out of my reach… which is a shame, because it’s sitting next to my copy of Sam and Max, which I’d also love to play again. I wonder if I can get my Mum to send them over.
However, the suggestion of Lighthouse and especially Syberia look great! I will investigate the availability of those asap…
It’s a few years old, but I loved Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster. Some challenging puzzles, great atmosphere, and - best of all - Dr. Frankenstein is played by Tim “Dr. Frank-n-Furter” Curry. In pretty much the same style, really.
Does anyone remember Darkseed, the game filled with creepy H.R. Giger artwork? First adventure I ever played; I was completely delighted.
Well, it sounds like you’re looking for PC games only, but if you do have a PS2, you should definitely check out Ico. When I played it, I kept thinking, “This is what Myst would be like if it were all done in real-time and I actually cared what was happening.”
Syberia’s already been mentioned; it’s gotten universally positive reviews from the few people who’ve actually played it.
The best non-LucasArts adventure game I ever played was Broken Sword 2. (I think the subtitle is “Shadow of the Templars”). It’s all 2D animation. It’s available for several platforms at this point, including the Gameboy Advance.
Have you played the old Sierra games? The Space Quest, Leisure Suit Larry and Quest for Glory series were the standouts IMO.
Quest for Glory is an adventure/roleplaying series, but the emphasis is on adventure, especially as they use the same engines as the other Quest games. Except for part 5 which is a lot more action oriented and probably not your thing.
Speaking of which, have you played Planescape: Torment? In retrospect the main reason I like it so much (it’s my personal #1 game) is that it’s an extension of the roleplaying/adventure type game. Most of the action plays out through dialogue and while there is fighting, it’s fairly simple.
Also deviating from straight adventure you may like Thief and it’s sequel. They both encourage puzzle solving and stealth over fighting. With your dislike for strategy though I’d recommend Torment more though.
Ehhh… there’s a decent amount of stragegy in Torment, especially when your party gets larger. My char had incredibly high Int and Wis, so he could talk his way out of stuff (especially when i got my Con up), but there are times when you need to fight. It does require stratagy (though its mostly of the “cast really powerful spells and hit with really good weapons” variety.
If you do get it, bump up your Wis, Int, and Con for the best dialogue options. You can’t die permenatly, which helps…
(Although I think a really ambitious mod team could make a remarkable adventure game out of the engine; out-of-the-box, not so much.)