Grim Fandango and Day of the Tentacle remastered versions ing cheap on PS4 store

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Over a month later, I have finally got back around to Day of the Tentacle (because The Witness was boring me silly). I spent a good while just trying to remember what I was meant to be doing after so long. Once I'd remembered what I was meant to be doing, I spent a lot longer trying to work out how and where to do it. The game feels very open ended, with a few vague objectives and a bunch of other stuff that may or may not be relevant at this point. Grim Fandango wasn't always particularly logical, but it felt like the sequence of events was a bit more focussed, so there was less blundering about.

One thing that jumped out me from the beginning is that the voice acting is actually good. Not that it's Laurence Olivier, necessarily, but when I think of voice acting in early-mid '90s games, I think of the direness that abounded on the Playstation - "Jill Sandwiches" and the like.

[Bazooka]

I unashamedly followed a picture guide to beat Day of the Tentathe and get the platinum, still a very enjoyable experience.

[Consignia]

One thing that jumped out me from the beginning is that the voice acting is actually good. Not that it's Laurence Olivier, necessarily, but when I think of voice acting in early-mid '90s games, I think of the direness that abounded on the Playstation - "Jill Sandwiches" and the like.

Yeah, it was a total selling point at the time as well[nb]As well as 256 colours in VGA mode[/nb]. Even the floppy disc version contained the intro fully voiced, which was really rare at the time.

I've just got myself a Xbox series S and Game pass, so I'm going to finally give Full Throttle a go after 25 years off putting it off!

[St_Eddie]

One thing that jumped out me from the beginning is that the voice acting is actually good. Not that it's Laurence Olivier, necessarily, but when I think of voice acting in early-mid '90s games, I think of the direness that abounded on the Playstation - "Jill Sandwiches" and the like.

All of LucasArts' adventure games were renowned for featuring outstanding voice acting performances.  Sierra's King's Quest V on the other hand, featured voice acting much more in line with the standards of the 90s.  Sierra did pull it out of the bag for Gabriel Knight though, which featured performances from the likes of Tim Curry, Mark Hamill and Michael Dorn.

[The Culture Bunker]

I think Gabriel Knight was the first time I was really impressed by voice over work in a game - it helped that I recognised some of the actors too, though not Tim Curry as he was obviously putting on an accent, while Michael Dorn (for example) still sounded a bit like Worf. But even those whose names I can't remember, like the woman who did Grace's voice, were fab. I'm a little bit surprised there's not been even vague news about a Gabriel Knight TV show or such.

[Mister Six]

Huh, yeah, you're right. You'd think they would have pitched it around the time that True Blood got big. Seems ideal for either a cable show spooky serial or an NBC-style "monster of the week" show.

I guess it falls under the "beloved by a small fanbase but basically extinct franchise" umbrella. Maybe if someone revives the games, there'll be a better chance of a telly show.

[St_Eddie]

I guess it falls under the "beloved by a small fanbase but basically extinct franchise" umbrella. Maybe if someone revives the games, there'll be a better chance of a telly show.

They released a 20th Anniversary Edition remake of the first game in 2014, but the sales were poor.  It killed any possibility of there being a fourth game (which would have finally resolved the unresolved plot lines from the third game), much less a potential TV series adaptation.  It didn't help that the 20th Anniversary Edition was a shoddy, cheap, inferior version of the original (which also got rid of the all star cast in favour of a bunch of unknowns).

[The Culture Bunker]

I was thinking that the character/setting have aspects that would cross over to TV well: handsome, unsuccessful novelist/book store owner gets involved in weird supernatural antics in New Orleans while uncovering his family's murky past.

Given the amount of stuff that gets made (even just a pilot), I'd be surprised if it wasn't even vaguely considered at some point, but perhaps all the aspects of the character have already been done at this point in time. I wonder how much Sierra would have asked for the rights?

[Rev+]

Could we at least call him 'Gabriel Knight, Wanker' as he is properly addressed in the third game.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I had another go at Day of the Tentacle last night and I'm making what feels like some decent progress (although the game seems to have taken exception to this and has started loading ridiculously slowly).  I think I'm getting into the swing of things now. I initially felt a bit bewildered by the range of options the game presented, but I've decided it's better to focus on the immediate task and ignore anything that isn't obviously relevant. The solution is usually fairly straightforward, although there have been a few times when what seemed like an obvious one has turned out to be wrong.

Lawks, but it can be laborious, though. Realising what you need to do takes up only a small fraction of the time. The majority of it is sloooowwly walking to and fro - usually twice, to transfer something between characters. How I wish there were an option to fast travel to the time bogs.

The time travel business reminds me of Shadow of Memories on the PS2. They both even have pretty much the same puzzle about a tree. I might dust that off when I'm done with this.

[druss]

There's a 90s adventure game and pretty much the only bit I can remember about it was a level where you are sort of falling through some weird crystal cave type thing? I doubt anyone can remember it from that but I'm putting it out there as I really want to play it again.

I'm not even sure it was a crystal cave, but you're definitely falling.

So to narrow it down, there's an adventure game in the 90s where in one bit you are falling. I'm looking for that specific game.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Lawks, but it can be laborious, though. Realising what you need to do takes up only a small fraction of the time. The majority of it is sloooowwly walking to and fro - usually twice, to transfer something between characters. How I wish there were an option to fast travel to the time bogs.

Click Give, click the item, click the character's portrait. Goes straight to them.

There's a 90s adventure game and pretty much the only bit I can remember about it was a level where you are sort of falling through some weird crystal cave type thing? I doubt anyone can remember it from that but I'm putting it out there as I really want to play it again.

I'm not even sure it was a crystal cave, but you're definitely falling.

So to narrow it down, there's an adventure game in the 90s where in one bit you are falling. I'm looking for that specific game.

Maybe The Dig?

[druss]

Nope. It's not as well known as that.

I think it was Sierra but that doesn't really narrow it down.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Click Give, click the item, click the character's portrait. Goes straight to them.

Cor! An actual game changer! Thank you.

[druss]

Just went through every game Sierra ever made and found it, Torin's Passage.

Just looked on youtube and it looks a bit shit so maybe I won't bother.

[St_Eddie]

Torin's Passage.

Filth. Utter filth.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I seem to have run into a bit of a dead end again. I know what my objectives are, but I try to work my way backwards from the obvious solution and inevitably seem to hit a brick wall somewhere along the line. There is a certain sense of frustration that creeps in, as I don't know if I'm being a bit dim, or the solutions are a bit mad.

One current example: Hoagie needs

Spoiler alert

gold, to power up the Chronojohn. The founding fathers have a gold quill, but Thomas Jefferson won't let me take it (if nothing else, this game is always fun to describe). Given the presence of a smoke detector, I assume I need to clear the room by starting a fire. This is where I run into a brick wall, as there doesn't seem to be any combustible material available, and the only lighter is also being guarded, with no indication of how to get it.

[close]

I had to consult a guide a few times while playing Grim Fandango, which was very unsatifying, so I'd rather not have to stoop to that again.

[St_Eddie]

I had to consult a guide a few times while playing Grim Fandango, which was very unsatifying, so I'd rather not have to stoop to that again.

You could always use the Universal Hint System.  It provides hints in stages.  Starting subtle, by nudging you in the general direction of where your line of thinking should be trained and then slowly revealing more and more about what you need to do.  It's an absolute boon for adventure games.

Having said that, I always recommend not using hints at all because so much of the satisfaction of adventure games comes from those magical "a-ha!" moments, when you finally figure out a puzzle that's been stumping you for ages, but UHS is absolutely the way to go if you do end up resorting to hints.

My own advice for tricky puzzles in adventure games is to stop playing, mull it over in your mind at night and then re-approach the puzzle with a fresh perspective the next morning.  I've spend hours stuck on a puzzle, only to solve it within 5 minutes the next day after a good night's sleep.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Hey Claude, can you

Spoiler alert

get someone else to start a fire?

[close]

(very vague hint)

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

Hey Claude, can you

Spoiler alert

get someone else to start a fire?

[close]

Spoiler alert

I've tried

[close]

but

Spoiler alert

no one seems interested. Not even John Hancock, who is all cold.

[close]

[Jerzy Bondov]

Sure, but

Spoiler alert

who gives a shit about John Hancock?

[close]

[St_Eddie]

I've tried but

Spoiler alert

no one seems interested. Not even John Hancock, who is all cold.

[close]

But what if they were

Spoiler alert

fooled into thinking it's cold?

[close]

Still not enough of a hint?  Well,

Spoiler alert

what are the symptoms of feeling cold, particularly in cartoon logic

[close]

?

Alternatively, here's the relevant section on UHS.

[Bazooka]

www.gameshark.com

[St_Eddie]

The Monkey Island games all had a built-in cheat.  The player was able to press Ctrl+W to instantly win the game.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

But what if they were

Spoiler alert

fooled into thinking it's cold?

[close]

Still not enough of a hint?  Well,

Spoiler alert

what are the symptoms of feeling cold, particularly in cartoon logic

[close]

?

Alternatively, here's the relevant section on UHS.

I finally solved this one last night, albeit by pure fluke.

Spoiler alert

I had assumed that I needed some item to catch the chattering teeth - most obviously the tentacle guard's net, but I don't know if it's even possible to nick that, if it's even possible. I was trying to drop the fake vomit on them when, quite at random, they chattered their way into the air duct.

[close]

A bit unsatisfying, to be honest (I can be pretty dense, but I don't feel like the game was really pointing to that solution) but it led to some fairly significant progress. I've only got Laverne's time toilet left to power up.

[St_Eddie]

I finally solved this one last night, albeit by pure fluke.

Spoiler alert

I had assumed that I needed some item to catch the chattering teeth - most obviously the tentacle guard's net, but I don't know if it's even possible to nick that, if it's even possible. I was trying to drop the fake vomit on them when, quite at random, they chattered their way into the air duct.

[close]

I'm glad you solved it in the end, as the fate of the world depends upon you.   

A bit unsatisfying, to be honest (I can be pretty dense, but I don't feel like the game was really pointing to that solution) but it led to some fairly significant progress. I've only got Laverne's time toilet left to power up.

One of the things to remember when playing an adventure game is that everything exists for a reason and you ought to pick up everything that's not nailed down.  If there's a grate on the floor and it can be opened, then it stands to reason that it serves a purpose.  Your mind ought to be thinking of ways in which you can use that to your advantage.  Likewise, if the chattering teeth have been programmed to run away from you when you attempt to pick them up, then it stands to reason that there's a puzzle involved as a part of that mechanic.  It's the mindset of an adventure gamer; to always be thinking in terms of what the developers intent was when the designing the world and puzzles.  Solving adventure game puzzles can sometimes be a form of reverse engineering.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

It's the mindset of an adventure gamer; to always be thinking in terms of what the developers intent was when the designing the world and puzzles.

That's the real trick, isn't it? It's also what can be annoying, as I sometimes feel less like I'm solving puzzles logically and more just guessing what the devs were thinking. I don't think I would have guessed that

Spoiler alert

the air duct

[close]

was the answer to that problem. If action films have taught me anything[nb]and they have taught me everything[/nb] it's that

Spoiler alert

air ducts are tunnels from one place to another, so I wouldn't expect it to act as a trap

[close]

.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I finished it last night. Lamentably, I had to resort to a guide for a couple of puzzles that were proving to be real bottlenecks:

Spoiler alert

Getting the squeaky mouse toy off the cat

[close]

and

Spoiler alert

using Fred the Mummy in the beauty contest.

[close]

I had been thinking along the right lines for the first one, but I expect the correct method would have remained elusive. I thought I needed to

Spoiler alert

stop the arty brothers working, so they would go to their room and play with the cat.

[close]

Instead, it turned out to be one of the very, very few times in the game that

Spoiler alert

I had to use a specific command, that wasn't the default, on a world object

[close]

. Up to you whether that was the me being thick, or the game not communicating its mechanics well enough - but it's definitely the latter, since the game is

Spoiler alert

littered with otherwise irrelevant interactive scenery and the original interface is hideously overcomplicated - I'm supposed to go around clicking Push, Pull and Use on everything, on the offchance that one of them actually does something?.

[close]

I can more easily accept

Spoiler alert

The Mummy

[close]

one as my fault, since I had already used it in another puzzle (although that one was screamingly obvious in comparison). I might have made the leap more easily if it had also been the solution to a past puzzle.

I managed to defeat Purple Tentacle without even trying.

Spoiler alert

The way his shrink ray pinged when it was recharging, I naturally assumed the solution would be to trick him with reception bell. I was just going through all the dialogue options for fun, when I blundered into the the real answer.

[close]

Overall, some gripes aside, I had a good time playing it. Whether I would be as sanguine about it had I paid 50-odd quid for it back in 1993, I don't know - but I didn't, so I am. I may not be a full convert to the genre just yet, but I'm certainly not averse to getting some more adventure games (when they are next on sale). In the meantime, I can give Maniac Mansion a go.

[St_Eddie]

I thought I needed to

Spoiler alert

stop the arty brothers working, so they would go to their room and play with the cat.

[close]

Instead, it turned out to be one of the very, very few times in the game that

Spoiler alert

I had to use a specific command, that wasn't the default, on a world object

[close]

. Up to you whether that was the me being thick, or the game not communicating its mechanics well enough

It's definitely the latter.  That puzzle has always been one of the few criticisms I hold for a game which I otherwise consider to be as close to perfection as its possible for any game to be.

I may not be a full convert to the genre just yet, but I'm certainly not averse to getting some more adventure games (when they are next on sale).

Great.  I would perhaps suggest referring back to my list of greatest adventure games ever which I previously posted within this thread, should you care to choose another title to play next.

In the meantime, I can give Maniac Mansion a go.

By all means, give it a go.  It's a title of great historical importance when it comes to adventure games.  Just be aware that it's dated horribly and quite honestly isn't much fun to actually play these days.  It wasn't until The Secret of Monkey Island that LucasArt's (previously Lucasfilm Games) adventure titles refined their gameplay by Ron Gilbert laying down the rules for good adventure game design.

[popcorn]

One of the things to remember when playing an adventure game is that everything exists for a reason

Apart from all the red herrings. Though I suppose they have reasons to exist too.