09-Apr-2012, 11:07 PM
#99 - Nancy Drew: Curse of Blackmoor Manor - fun game. The games in this entire series are generally pretty decent. They're certainly not the pinnacle of adventure gaming, but they're a fun jaunt. This one in particular is especially scary, atmospheric, and filled with devious puzzles.
#75 - King's Quest: Quest for the Crown - it's a glorified fetch quest, but it's one of the first PC games to actually have graphics (!), and the VGA remake made a few years after the original release is pretty decent. What's really annoying, though (and this goes for the second game in the series as well) is that there are certain "nodes" on the map into which you can walk where some random enemy (troll, witch, etc.) will suddenly appear and kill you. So saving your game upon entering a new node is generally a prudent practice.
#59 - Myst III: Exile - I love this game. The worlds to explore are varied, the puzzles are mind-bending but not terribly evil, and Brad Dourif nails a commanding performance as the villain Saavedro.
#48 - Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers - I absolutely adore the Space Quest series, even with some of the silly ways you can get screwed, much like King's Quest. It's funny, ridiculously snarky in places, and contains some wonderful parodies of science fiction staples, most notably Star Wars and Star Trek. This particular game has a time travel element in it that's just hysterical in that it constantly breaks the fourth wall, even referencing future games down the road that never got made.
#40 - Myst IV: Revelation - I personally think that Myst III should've placed above this one, but this is still a fine game nonetheless. The graphics are just breathtaking, arguably the best in the entire series. It's just a shame that the final world had to be a very un-Myst-like New Age-y hippie village filled with puzzles that weren't true logic challenges, and that the acting was rather subpar. ("I...am...Sirrus......AND I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!!!!")
#31 - Portal - it's freakin' Portal. Enough said.
#29 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - I was first introduced to this game courtesy of Rock and decided to continue playing through what he hadn't posted at the time on my own (yay for an iPhone port!). The story in this game is nothing short of brilliant. The animated characters just somehow feel right, and the music is some of the most memorable I've heard in a video game in quite a while.
#21 - Blade Runner - I'm currently in the middle of Sven Groot's LP of this game. So far, it's awesome - and it's not a direct movie tie-in either, which is also a plus.
#18 - Myst - it's considered among some of the most revolutionary games ever and is credited for pioneering CD-ROM games, and for the time, its graphics were just stunning. As a product envisioned by two guys and built by a small team in a garage, it's fabulous. While I don't consider it to be the best entry in the series, it's certainly a fine game and contains some wonderful puzzles.
#13 - King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow - I'm so glad this made the list and that it's toward the top. This seriously is one of my favorite games ever. It contains a 3-D animated cutscene that was considered fairly revolutionary at the time of release (though it certainly pales by today's standards). But the real stars of this game are its gameplay, in which ridiculous "screws" were mostly removed, the voice acting, and the beautiful music and love story. I don't use the word "masterpiece" much, but it certainly applies here.
#10 - Portal 2 - oh, how I love Portal. But Portal 2 I love even more. It's a sequel that doesn't feel like the original; rather, it expands on what the original presented. The voiceover work, once again, is incredible. The puzzles are fun but not terribly challenging. And the ending is just breathtaking.
#5 - Riven - other than Chip's Challenge, this is my favorite game. Its atmosphere is nothing sort of sublime, and the worldbuilding Cyan did when creating this game is filled with meticulous details. But what really shines here is the story. It's a captivating tale that can be understood on a basic level but contains layers of substance to be found underneath the surface. And what's even more brilliant is how the puzzles are integrated into it - yes, there are devious ones aplenty, but the way the puzzles tie into the story makes this game feel all the more immersive.
#75 - King's Quest: Quest for the Crown - it's a glorified fetch quest, but it's one of the first PC games to actually have graphics (!), and the VGA remake made a few years after the original release is pretty decent. What's really annoying, though (and this goes for the second game in the series as well) is that there are certain "nodes" on the map into which you can walk where some random enemy (troll, witch, etc.) will suddenly appear and kill you. So saving your game upon entering a new node is generally a prudent practice.
#59 - Myst III: Exile - I love this game. The worlds to explore are varied, the puzzles are mind-bending but not terribly evil, and Brad Dourif nails a commanding performance as the villain Saavedro.
#48 - Space Quest IV: Roger Wilco and the Time Rippers - I absolutely adore the Space Quest series, even with some of the silly ways you can get screwed, much like King's Quest. It's funny, ridiculously snarky in places, and contains some wonderful parodies of science fiction staples, most notably Star Wars and Star Trek. This particular game has a time travel element in it that's just hysterical in that it constantly breaks the fourth wall, even referencing future games down the road that never got made.
#40 - Myst IV: Revelation - I personally think that Myst III should've placed above this one, but this is still a fine game nonetheless. The graphics are just breathtaking, arguably the best in the entire series. It's just a shame that the final world had to be a very un-Myst-like New Age-y hippie village filled with puzzles that weren't true logic challenges, and that the acting was rather subpar. ("I...am...Sirrus......AND I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED!!!!!!")
#31 - Portal - it's freakin' Portal. Enough said.
#29 - Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - I was first introduced to this game courtesy of Rock and decided to continue playing through what he hadn't posted at the time on my own (yay for an iPhone port!). The story in this game is nothing short of brilliant. The animated characters just somehow feel right, and the music is some of the most memorable I've heard in a video game in quite a while.
#21 - Blade Runner - I'm currently in the middle of Sven Groot's LP of this game. So far, it's awesome - and it's not a direct movie tie-in either, which is also a plus.
#18 - Myst - it's considered among some of the most revolutionary games ever and is credited for pioneering CD-ROM games, and for the time, its graphics were just stunning. As a product envisioned by two guys and built by a small team in a garage, it's fabulous. While I don't consider it to be the best entry in the series, it's certainly a fine game and contains some wonderful puzzles.
#13 - King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow - I'm so glad this made the list and that it's toward the top. This seriously is one of my favorite games ever. It contains a 3-D animated cutscene that was considered fairly revolutionary at the time of release (though it certainly pales by today's standards). But the real stars of this game are its gameplay, in which ridiculous "screws" were mostly removed, the voice acting, and the beautiful music and love story. I don't use the word "masterpiece" much, but it certainly applies here.
#10 - Portal 2 - oh, how I love Portal. But Portal 2 I love even more. It's a sequel that doesn't feel like the original; rather, it expands on what the original presented. The voiceover work, once again, is incredible. The puzzles are fun but not terribly challenging. And the ending is just breathtaking.
#5 - Riven - other than Chip's Challenge, this is my favorite game. Its atmosphere is nothing sort of sublime, and the worldbuilding Cyan did when creating this game is filled with meticulous details. But what really shines here is the story. It's a captivating tale that can be understood on a basic level but contains layers of substance to be found underneath the surface. And what's even more brilliant is how the puzzles are integrated into it - yes, there are devious ones aplenty, but the way the puzzles tie into the story makes this game feel all the more immersive.