Broken Sword 3: The Sleeping Dragon
Review by JesseNovember 2003
The Long Wait Is Finally Over
After an agonizing six-year hiatus, adventure gamers everywhere rejoice at the prospect of joining George and Nico in another globetrotting adventure to save the world, once again, from supernatural forces bent on taking it over. Has it been worth the wait? Is Revolution’s decision to move to 3D a wise one? Will the action segments alienate the ever-fickle adventure crowd? Is this truly the future of adventure games as Charles Cecil would have us believe?
Enter the Intrepid Heroes
Sometime between The Smoking Mirror and The Sleeping Dragon, George and Nico parted ways. The game opens with George, now a patent attorney in Idaho, journeying to the Congo to visit a scientist named Cholmondely, in order to check out his machine that supposedly provides limitless energy. It seems a little farfetched, but at least it is more exciting than Idaho. Unfortunately, George is not the only person looking for this guy, for when George arrives, Cholmondely has been shot and lies dying on the floor. With only a postcard, and the final gasps of Cholmondely, George decides he is in too far now not to investigate.
As George romps through the Congo, Nico, still working for La Liberté, is three months behind in her rent and still waiting for her big break. Until that time, she has to suffer the whims of her editor and meet with a hacker named Vernon Blier, who claims the world is about to end and he knows why. Nico arrives to his apartment in time to hear shots ring out and finds herself framed for murder. Two days later, after being released from prison due to a lack of evidence, Nico investigates Vernon and what he was working on in order to track down the person who framed her.
Eventually, George and Nico’s paths cross, and it turns out they are both working on the same case. The story culminates with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, and it is up to you whether they succeed or not.
Action and Adventure
So onto the big question: What’s with the action elements? If I wanted an action/adventure, I would have purchased Tomb Raider, but I have certain expectations for this series. Does the game measure up? Is this truly the future of adventure games? Is it the death knell of point-and-click adventures?
The action falls into two categories: the Dragon’s Lair-like, plot-related scenes, and the Zelda-esque environmental action scenes.
The only time you can die is during the plot-related scenes. In one scene, a villain holds a gun to your head, and you have a second to pick up something and defend yourself. If you don’t react in time, you will die and be given a chance to try again. These scenes are well-integrated into the story and serve to keep up the pace. No longer do you passively watch the cutscenes during all of the exciting momentsnow you are part of the action.
I enjoyed the adrenaline rush, but the action may not be for everyone. The implementation was not done as well as it could have been. It is consistently a “do this or die” decision. It would have been fun to throw in some options that ended up getting you in worse trouble, to make you think about what you are trying to do. When you have no real decision-making ability to change an outcome, the scene is exciting the first time but no real surprise afterward. There are only two scenes were you are given an opportunity to do more than just react, but they consist of running away, so be prepared to master those controls.
In most scenes, you will not be aware that there is an action element … until you are killed. Herein lies the fatal flaw of the system in my eyes. You cannot advance the dialogue or skip scenes you have already seen, so if you are killed after watching two minutes of a cutscene, you have to watch that same two minutes again. This is a personal pet peeve of mine, and it served to kill the mood of the scene and frustrate me. It brings the momentum of the scene to a screeching halt.
The environment puzzles too come in two different flavors. First, we have everyone’s favorite, block puzzles. If this is truly the future of adventure gaming, I think block puzzles will soon achieve the notoriety of mazes and sliding tile puzzles. They really serve no purpose, are added merely to extend the length of the game, and once you know what to do, you still need to spend five or ten minutes moving all the blocks into place in order to progress forward. A couple of these would have been great, but the seven or ten that are in the game are a little too much.
The other environmental element is the climbing, jumping, and sliding inherent in the 3D world. Gameplay reminded me of Splinter Cell but actually more closely resembles that of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker in its gameplay and difficulty. You have to keep you eyes open for ledges and windows throughout the game. You cannot die in these puzzles, but these are where I became truly stuck. I ended up asking for help rather than spending another four hours looking for that ledge or window that I needed to climb up but couldn’t find. Sneaking around guards also plays a big factor in the Prague level. Just like in Zelda or Splinter Cell, you need to avoid the guards by walking slowly, climbing around them, and generally being sneaky. I enjoyed it and found it fairly easy since I had already mastered Splinter Cell, which is infinitely harderbut this can be frustrating to the new player when he gets shot by the same guard for the fourth time.
Nico Does the Drunken Stumble Dance
Poor, poor Nico. I constantly felt bad as she repeatedly stumbled drunkenly into every wall in her path. I give fair warning to all of you who hated the controls in Grim Fandangothe controls in The Sleeping Dragon are worse.
My first point of contention is the camera-relative movement. Every time the angle of the camera changes, so do your movement keys. At least in Grim Fandango, you could set the controls to character-relative movement, which provided an island of consistency in a sea of changing camera angles. To be fair, if you don’t stop moving, your controls will stay the same throughout screen transitions, but as soon as you stop moving or change direction, they conform to the camera angle.
Second, the entire game was built with console controls in mind. With four movement keys on the PC, you will notice every angle that is not exactly 90 degrees relative to the camera when you slam once more into the wall. A control stick does not have this problem. The action buttons were also designed with a controller in mind, and, in my opinion, they do not translate all that well to a keyboard. If you do not have a gamepad for your PC, I suggest you buy the console version of BS3. If you don’t mind playing around with wonky controls or you already have a gamepad, stick with the PC version for the cheaper price.
Wonderful World of Three Dimensions
If the last 3D game you played was Grim Fandango, then things have come a long way. You will be awestruck by some of the visuals. If you have played every third-person shooter there is and are anticipating the release of Half-Life 2 and Doom 3, then you won’t be as amazed, but still The Sleeping Dragon is a pretty game.
It is a little more resource-heavy and requires a better system than most adventure games. Most everyone should have a computer that is able to run this game, but the recommended specs may be higher than you are used to, so keep that in mind when you are purchasing.
The best part of the graphics in my opinion was walking up and down stairs. It is a rare game where the animators make the effort of providing animation specific to stair-climbing, and it is a beautiful thing to behold when George’s feet actually land on each individual step.
Some Old Friends
Veterans of the series with recognize many faces, and even some locations, in this iteration of the Broken Sword series. While this adds to the experience for us who have played the previous games, will it just serve to confuse newcomers? Can someone new to the series start here and be able to follow what is going on?
Every time an old character is introduced, Revolution does a fairly good job in giving a little background explaining how we knew him or her and what he or she has been up to in the intervening time. Honestly, I am not sure if newcomers will fully understand situations without having played at least the first game. Would I recommend this game to someone who hasn’t played the others? Probably not. Given the shortness of the game plus some of the other issues mentioned above, I would instead suggest he get his hands on the first game to see if he enjoys the story at all before he invests his money in this one. You can still get the GBA version in stores, I believe, and you can get the PC version at Playing Games or Sold Out Software.
Final Words
My review up to this point may sound a little harsh. But I truly enjoyed this game. It is a nice fit with the series, and it is very much a Broken Sword game.
Things I didn’t like were the abundance of block puzzles, not being able to advance dialogue and cutscenes, the controls, and the shortness of the game. I spent a total of 10 hours and 26 minutes playing it. Running through a second time for this review, I played only for five and a half hours, skipping loads of dialogue on the way.
I enjoyed the action elements. The first time through, they added an element of excitement to the plot and helped me really feel a part of the action. The original voice actors returned to provide the voices of George and Nico, which is goodI am not sure if I could accept different voices for them. Finally, this was very much a Broken Sword story, which will serve to please most fans and help overcome any of the flaws.
Is this the future of adventure games? I believe it could be. It was a valiant first attempt, and I liked it. If the development community uses this as a launching pad, and what we see here is just the infancy of incorporating interactivity into cutscenes, then we could be witnessing the birth of something truly extraordinary. There will still be a vocal group out there, crying foul at any change from the good ol’ days of point-and-click, but that will never change.
If you are a fan of the series, I can heartily recommend this game. The $40 price tag may still be a bit much for 10 hours of gaming, so you may want to wait until it goes on sale, but this will be a game you’ll enjoy. If you have yet to play a Broken Sword game, I would have reservations recommending this game, as you could play the first two games for half the price of the third, and by the time you finish, you should be able to find this one on sale.
The Verdict
The Lowdown
Developer: Revolution Publisher: Dreamcatcher Release Date: November 2003
Available for:
Four Fat Chicks Links
Screenshots
System Requirements
Windows 98/ME/2000/XP Pentium III 750 MHz (Pentium III 1.2 GHz recommended) 128 MB RAM 8X CD-ROM drive DirectX 8.1 Sound card (5.1 Surround Sound support recommended) GeForce2 64 MB or equivalent (GeForce4 Ti 4200 or equivalent recommended) 1 GB free hard disk space Keyboard and Mouse/Gamepad Speakers
Where to Find It
Links provided for informational purposes only. FFC makes no warranty with regard to any transaction entered into by any party(ies).
Copyright © Electric Eye Productions. All rights reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part without express written permission.
Pages
Category Archives
- Alliance of Awesome (RSS) (13)
- Announcements (RSS) (35)
- Editorials (RSS) (342)
- Celebrity Guest Editorials (RSS) (11)
- Culture Clash (RSS) (25)
- Ephemera (RSS) (68)
- Features (RSS) (212)
- A Weekend With (RSS) (4)
- Dark Souls Diaries (RSS) (14)
- Death in Fire (RSS) (4)
- Diary Of A Call Girl (RSS) (3)
- Games of the Year (RSS) (36)
- Kermdinger Chronicles (RSS) (9)
- Local Flavor (RSS) (12)
- MrLipid's Closet of the Odd (RSS) (2)
- My Idea of Fun (RSS) (7)
- On Tap (RSS) (7)
- Quest for 7:00 on the Nordschleife (RSS) (7)
- Superficially Relevant (RSS) (7)
- Tap Dance (RSS) (64)
- Tap vs. Tap (RSS) (9)
- Tapping Down Memory Lane (RSS) (4)
- The Log of Shame (RSS) (5)
- FFC Archives (RSS) (419)
- Impressions (RSS) (201)
- News (RSS) (366)
- Reviews (RSS) (175)
- Uncategorized (RSS) (8)
Blog Posts
- Side by Side: Voidigo (0)
- Side by Side: Spiderheck (0)
- Side by Side: Moving Out (0)
- Side by Side: Chambers of Devious Design (0)
- Side by Side: Island Bender (0)
- Side by Side: Dashpong (0)
- Xtal’s Games of 2022: Truest Self, or Lolololololololol (1)
- Play the Lottery (2)
- Side by Side: Space Beast Terror Fright (0)
- Side by Side: Morkredd (0)
- Side by Side: Scavenger of Dunomini (0)
- Side by Side: Buissons (0)
- Side by Side: DYO (0)
- Side by Side: Sky Rogue (0)
- Side by Side: Feud (0)
- Side by Side: Samurai Gunn 2 (0)
- Gregg B’s Games of 2022 (0)
- Side by Side: GourMelee (0)
- Side by Side: Windjammers 2 (0)
- Side by Side: Spirits Abyss (0)
- Side by Side: Very Very Valet (0)
- Side by Side: Bämeräng (2)
- AJ’s Games of the Year 2021 (6)
- Boyfriend Dungeon (1)
- Dozen Days of Demo #9: Project Haven (1)
- Dozen Days of Demo #8: My Time at Sandrock (1)
- Dozen Days of Demo #7: Severed Steel (0)
- Dozen Days of Demo #6: Reshaping Mars (0)
- Dozen Days of Demo #5: Chernobyl Liquidators Simulator (0)
- Dozen Days of Demo #4: Blaster Master Zero 3 (0)
- Dozen Days of Demo #3: Sable (3)
- Dozen Days of Demo #2: Bandit Simulator (0)
- Dozen Days of Demo #1: Terra Nil (2)
- Steerpike’s Dozen Days of Demo (1)
- NieR Replicant ver 1.22474487139… (3)
- Mad Devils Heads For Steam Playtest (1)
- Tenderfoot Tactics (0)
- Side by Side: Season 5 Deleted Scenes (0)
- Element TD 2 Launches Into Early Access (2)
- Fancy A 2.5 Space Adventure? BlazeSky’s Available In EA (0)
- Impressions: Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise (3)
- The Last of Us Part II: Hateful. Brutal. Beautiful? (0)
- Steerpike’s Games of 2019: Wait—Isn’t He Dead? (5)
- Gregg B’s Games of 2017-2019. Yeah. (4)
- Xtal’s Games of 2019: Born at the End of the Universe (4)
- AJ’s 2019 Video Game Roundup (5)
- The Rise of Skywalker (10)
- Side by Side: Disobedient Sheep (1)
- Side by Side: At Sundown: Shots in the Dark (0)
- Side by Side: Totally Reliable Delivery Service (0)
- Side by Side: On Trailers (0)
- Side by Side: Wand Wars (0)
- Side by Side: Daka Dara (0)
- Side by Side: SSMP (0)
- Side by Side: BADBLOOD (0)
- Side by Side: Inversus (0)
- Side by Side: Double Takes (0)
- Side by Side: Battle Bolts (0)
- Side by Side: HELLFRONT: HONEYMOON (0)
- Side by Side: Chambara (0)
- Side by Side: LazerGrrl (3)
- Side by Side: Fling to the Finish (2)
- Ground, to Major Tom (6)
- Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (3)
- There’s No Hentai at MomoCon (1)
- Impressions – Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice (2)
- Devil May Cry 5 (3)
- Xtal’s Games of 2018: “The earth has music for those who listen” Or: The King Is Gone But He’s Not Forgotten (9)
- Twilight of the Wii Shop Channel (4)
- Games I Liked in 2018 and Also in 2017 (5)
- Road to Redemption (4)
- Catch Us Live from PAX Unplugged (0)
- Side by Side: Witchball (2)
- Side by Side: Chronobot (0)
- Side by Side: Birdsketball (0)
- We Nerds Ruin Everything (3)
- Side by Side: Nuclear Reaction (0)
- Some of the Games of PAX West 2018 (4)
- Side by Side: Hacktag (0)
- Donut County (3)
- Side by Side: Totemori (3)
- Side by Side: Cuckoo Curling (0)
- Side by Side: Anyball (0)
- Side by Side: Tuned Out (0)
- Side by Side: Muddledash (0)
- Side by Side: Regular Human Basketball (2)
- Side by Side: EGX Rezzed 2018 (1)
- Entertainment versus Affliction in Hellblade (4)
- Xtal’s Games of 2017: Helpless Like a Rich Man’s Child (5)
- The true Demon’s Souls ends Here (4)
- Girls Behind The Games Hashtag is So Good, So Pure (1)
- Side by Side: N++ (1)
- Greetings from PAX Unplugged (2)
- 2017 Is the Best Year for Games of All-Time, And It’s Not Even Close (4)
- Side by Side: Johann Sebastian Joust (0)
- The Last Guardian: Brief thoughts and Thanks (3)
- Side by Side: Sumer (0)
- Side by Side: The Unholy War (2)
- Side by Side: Cryptark (0)
- PAX West 2017: The Good Life with SWERY65 (1)
- PAX West 2017: Dungeons & Dragons, Playing and Watching (2)
- Side by Side: Gang Beasts, Abyss Odyssey & Season 3 (1)
- Side by Side: Vomit Crabs (1)
- Help a Brother Out, Part 9 (0)
- Heart Quest Books: D&D Adventures for Girls (4)
- Too Many Games and the Philadelphia Game Scene (2)
- I Play Fighting Games for the Story (10)
- Checking in from the D&D Adventurer’s League (1)
- Let My People G-OHGODWHATISTHAT (3)
- Nier:Automata (mostly) & Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (sort of) (19)
- Apparently It’s Not the Last One (1)
- Side by Side: Crawl (0)
- Side by Side: Magicka 2 (4)
- Catch Me on Twitch! (3)
- Xtal’s Games of 2016: Journey Milestone Accomplished (5)
- Gregg B’s Games of 2016 (12)
- AJ’s Games of the Year 2016 (11)
- The Drake Incident: Harbour Master vs. Hellkite (4)
- Death in Fire: A RimWorld Saga, Part 4 (16)
- Death in Fire: A RimWorld Saga, Part 3 (0)
- Death in Fire: A RimWorld Saga, Part 2 (7)
- Death in Fire: A RimWorld Saga, Part 1 (1)
- Obduction (4)
- Side by Side: Affordable Space Adventures (0)
- Oh look, a list (A Top 17 list) (10)
- Hands on with Torment: Tides of Numenera at PAX West (3)
- Feelin’ Iffy: Pathologic Remake Delayed (10)
- No Man’s Diaries: Prologue (13)
- Hate Expectations (7)
- Zero Escape: Zero Time Dilemma (5)
- Bastard Bonds (4)
- Too Many Games in Philadelphia (1)
- PAX East 2016 – Part 5 – Roundup (0)
- Games of PAX East – Part 4 – Indie Minibooth (0)
- Games of PAX East – Part 3 – Interviews! (2)
- Games of PAX East – Part 2 – VR (2)
- Indie Games of PAX East – Part 1 (2)
- Fire Emblem: Fates (3)
- Side by Side: Archon (3)
- Impressions: Salt and Sanctuary (4)
- Games and Music at MAGFest 2016 (3)
- Steerpike’s Games of 2015: Somewhat Enriched (5)
- Gregg B’s Games of 2015 (7)
- AJ’s Games of the Year 2015 (6)
- Xtal’s Games of 2015: “And the wind will lift away our rot” (3)
- Help a Brother Out #8 (4)
- 2015: To Pimp a Bunch of Miniature Reviews (5)
- Tales from the Borderlands (0)
- MrLipid’s Closet of the Odd: Black Viper – Sophia’s Fate (3)
- Rise of the Tomb Raider (7)
- Side by Side: Crypt of the Necrodancer (1)
- Three Thoughts about Undertale (9)
- Steam Hardware Impressions Part 2: Steam Controller (18)
- Steam Hardware Impressions Part 1: Steam Link (6)
- Side by Side: Rocket League (5)
- Microsoft Acquires Havok from Intel (3)
- Batman: Arkham Knight (9)
- Side by Side – Season 2: Assault Android Cactus (1)
- Voice Actors Vote on Strike (3)
- “In My Heart I am a Gamer” (7)
- Rumors of Our Demise, etc. etc. (5)
- Zeke Iddon Presents: Gaming for Profit on YouTube (0)
- Mineclass (1)
- Journey to the Center of Hawkthorne – A Real Actual Game (2)
- Impressions – The Witcher: Wild Hunt (10)
- Axiom Verge (3)
- GameLoading: Rise of the Indies (4)
- Gregg & Steerpike vs. the Overworld (3)
- Local Flavor: Connor Hart from OverReact (0)
- Local Flavor: What Pumpkin Studios and Hiveswap (2)
- Local Flavor: PHL Collective and ClusterPuck 99 (2)
- GDC 2015: GDC Microtalks and #1ReasonToBe (3)
- Find Me at GDC (2)
- Local Flavor: CleaverSoft and EarthNight (1)
- The Order | 1886 (21)
- Impressions: Life is Strange, Episode 1 (2)
- Local Flavor: Golden Ruby Games and Extreme Exorcism (3)
- Hyrule Warriors (7)
- Local Flavor: QuadraTron Games and Threshold (1)
- Side by Side: The Series So Far… (2)
- Games I played in 2014 and thought were gud. (5)
- Steerpike’s Games of 2014: Unfinished (11)
- AJ’s Games of 2014: The Wicked, the Weird, the Wacky (5)
- Bravely Default (5)
- GSC Game World Returns (4)
- Impressions: Elegy For a Dead World (3)
- Local Flavor: The Sheikh Zayed Institute’s Pain Medicine Care Complex (2)
- Tap Dance: Introducing ‘Side by Side’ (1)
- Learning to Fly (7)
- Tap-Repeatedly Returns (0)
- Dreamfall Revisited (11)
- A Journey Inward (6)
- Local Flavor: Schell Games and Team Enemy Mind (2)
- Impressions: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (9)
- In My Life (2014 Edition): A Collection of Miniature Reviews & Impressions, Disguised in the form of incoherent ramblings (10)
- Don’t Fear the Creeper: Microsoft Mines Mojang (7)
- Local Flavor: Michael Silverman of Silverware Games (1)
- Review: Shadowgate (2014) (1)
- Local Flavor: Ryan Morrison of Island Officials (3)
- Why I’m Extra Excited About Minimum (3)
- Why The Emerald Dream Can’t Be An Expansion (3)
- Local Flavor: Shawn Pierre of OriGaminc (8)
- Impressions: The Forest Early Access (7)
- Review: Shovel Knight (5)
- The Wolf Among Us (9)
- Aiden Pearce is the Worst (18)
- Help a Brother Out, Part Seven (5)
- On Tap #7 (0)
- The Endless Night of Kentucky Route Zero (8)
- Storming the Castle (7)
- Iron Man Mode Suicidal Aeroplane Charity Livestream Extravaganza! (0)
- On Tap #6 (6)
- Child of Light (3)
- Impressions: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Lost Alpha (11)
- On Tap #5 (3)
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (5)
- Avengers Alliance Disassembled (5)
- Moebius: Empire Rising (1)
- On Tap #4 (8)
- Never-Ending Battle? (26)
- Trip Report: PAX East 2014 (3)
- Review: Escape Goat 2 (2)
- Impressions: Lifeless Planet (7)
- Guest Editorial: Arkham Identity (5)
- On Tap #3 (7)
- EGX Rezzed 2014 (4)
- On Tap #2 (5)
- Impressions: Enemy Mind (2)
- Oculus Rift and the Future of VR (12)
- On Tap #1 (10)
- Adventure Games from Phoenix Online Publishing at GDC (3)
- Soul Pain (20)
- Dispatches from the GDC Narrative Summit and Critical Proximity (3)
- One Last Night in Arkham (15)
- Impressions: Broken Age (7)
- South Park: The Stick of Truth (4)
- Impressions: Thief (44)
- Impressions: Banished (3)
- Irrationalia (7)
- Indie Games in Public (4)
- The Last of Us: Left Behind (8)
- The Castle Doctrine (3)
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (12)
- Early Excess? (20)
- Don’t Look, the Rapture is Here (10)
- Impressions: Horizon (7)
- Proteus (2)
- A Speedy Million Dollar Game Charity Run (5)
- Gregg B’s Games of 2013: List Off* (7)
- Xtal’s Games of 2013: The Good in Everyone (5)
- Steerpike’s Games of 2013: Silent Night (17)
- Dix’s Games of 2013: Family Ties (9)
- AJ’s Games of 2013: You Have My Axe (9)
- Impressions: FORCED (4)
- First Person Literacy and BioShock Infinite (7)
- Impressions: Ossuary (7)
- I’m Irrationally Angry About Transformers Legends (12)
- Knee-Deep in the Dear John (3)
- The Bridge (3)
- State of Decay (10)
- XCOM: Enemy RIGHT IN FRONT OF MY SNIPER MAJOR AND SHE STILL CAN’T HIT IT (15)
- Can You Steal A Franchise Back to Health? (37)
- Batman: Arkham Origins (10)
- Extra Life – Play Games – Heal Kids (5)
- The Stanley Parable (10)
- Beyond: Two Souls (13)
- Knock-Knock (11)
- Revisited: Heavy Rain (11)
- Signal Boost: Help Support Game Design Research (5)
- Closure (2)
- Review: Cognition: An Erica Reed Thriller: Episode 4 (5)
- Announceosaurus: Valve’s SteamOS [Updated] (25)
- Impressions: Escape Goat 2 (2)
- Glad We Got That Sorted Out (3)
- Tap-Repeatedly Joins the Previous Decade (8)
- He Could Only Rule the World (19)
- Review: Everlove: Rose (4)
- I’m Not Buying Grand Theft Auto V – I Bought Saints Row IV Twice (20)
- Gameplay for Fun and Profit (4)
- Sacrifice (34)
- What a Difference a Year Makes (12)
- Review: Dragon’s Crown (41)
- Everlove: A Romance Game for Women (11)
- The Soulless Social Payne of Rockstar Games (9)
- Kermdinger Studios Unveils Stunt Runner (A Kermdinger Chronicles Update) (4)
- Shadowrun Returns (7)
- Assuming Direct (Star) Control (9)
- Fifteen Hours of Eight (14)
- Review: Face Noir (6)
- The Tapcast of Us: Kristine, Dix, xtal, and Steerpike! (0)
- Help a Brother Out, Part Six (17)
- Culture Clash: Storyville, Population One (9)
- The Walking Dead: 400 Days (2)
- The Last of Us (5)
- Age of Broken Promises (33)
- Review: Deadpool (12)
- When Online Multiplayer Games Die (8)
- Review: Neverwinter (7)
- Metro: Last Light (11)
- Deadly Premonition – The Director’s Cut (17)
- Impressions: The Last of Us (10)
- Trip Report from the Gotland Game Conference (3)
- Culture Clash: A Camel (11)
- Tomorrow’s Harvest (1)
- Tap vs. Tap: Xbox One (16)
- The Night of the Rabbit (8)
- Let’s Watch Let’s Plays (11)
- Star Trek: The Video Game (A Cooperative Review) (4)
- The Part You’re Missing (8)
- Culture Clash: The Fourth Letter (2)
- Antichamber (5)
- Selling Survarium (6)
- Neverwinter Beta Launch Interview (2)
- Celebrity Guest Editorial: NYFA’s Zeke Iddon! (24)
- Thomas Was Alone: A Micro Review (8)
- Defense Grid 2 is Go (11)
- Impressions: Don’t Starve (7)
- Culture Clash: You Just Had to Be There (2)
- Enraptured by Sadness: BioShock Infinite and the Depressing Reality of AAA Game Design (34)
- Review: Retro City Rampage (3)
- Do You Divekick? (7)
- Revisited: Alan Wake (24)
- Talking Cognition and Mystery Adventures at PAX East (4)
- My Idea of Fun: Bioshock 2 (18)
- PAX East Hands-On: Outlast and Remember Me (4)
- My Friday at PAX East 2013 (7)
- There’s the Door, John (10)
- The Games I Saw at IndieCade East (7)
- Impressions: Impire (11)
- The Ultimate Triumph of Beer Pong (15)
- Game of Moans (2)
- Culture Clash: That Used to Be Us (3)
- …And a Stick to Steer Her By (2)
- Impressions: Neverwinter – Beta (4)
- Revisited: Defense Grid (4)
- Impressions: Dead Space 3 (17)
- Discontinuity (6)
- Industry Attrition Continues (4)
- How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Backlog (10)
- Did Anyone Actually Need for Lightning to Return? (21)
- Xtal’s Games of 2012: Beauty Lies in the Eye (8)
- Culture Clash: Play it Some Author Way (2)
- Gregg B’s Games of 2012: Distractions (14)
- Steerpike’s Games of 2012: Special Achievement (13)
- AJ’s Games of 2012: And I Feel Fine (6)
- Tap vs. Tap: Authorship (8)
- Gamer’s Block (22)
- Merry Christmas from Your Android Device (1)
- Obstacles & Introspection, Part 1: The Way Out Is Through (8)
- Review: Cognition: Episode 1 (5)
- Review: Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune (32)
- Gamers Give Back (0)
- GSC Game World Resurrects Itself; Sends Nastygram; Vanishes Again (8)
- The Naked Vulnerability of Halo 4 (14)
- The Dissent, Part 2 – Journey and Dear Esther (21)
- Tapcast: Ben and Steerpike Talk Mass Effect (3)
- Crowdfunding and the Mysterious Oton Console (13)
- Review: Primordia (4)
- Impressions: Miasmata (10)
- The Dissent, Part 1 – S:S&S EP (13)
- Games Don’t Need Much Story (24)
- More-ment (4)
- The Final Ultimate Red Vs. Blue 10 Season Box Set Review (4)
- The Continuing Mission: The Search for Great Star Trek Games (Part 4) (4)
- Difficult Choices in The Walking Dead (5)
- The Seventh (34)
- Culture Clash: The ABCs of AAA (9)
- Star Citizen Kickstarter on its Final Countdown (2)
- Tales from a Halo Household (12)
- A Preview of Gender and Diversity in Primordia (5)
- Consider Wreck-It Ralph (5)
- Group Impressions: Guns of Icarus Online (Beta) (5)
- We’re Not Here for Integrity (5)
- Don’t Bite The Hand That Feeds (10)
- Silent Hill: Revelation 3D (4)
- Impressions: Dishonored (23)
- FTL: Faster Than Light (2)
- This Shrivels My Game Sack (17)
- Culture Clash: World of Wonkcraft (3)
- Site Maintenance Tomorrow And Maybe Longer (0)
- Eurogamer Expo 2012: Mind Dump Part III (8)
- Eurogamer Expo 2012: Mind Dump Part II (5)
- Eurogamer Expo 2012: Mind Dump Part I (7)
- Review of “The Best Red vs Blue DVD Ever” (3)
- Impressions: Prison Architect Alpha (3)
- Thoughts on the Smithsonian’s Art of Video Games Exhibit (8)
- Tap vs. Tap: Dix and Steerpike Battle Bosses (17)
- The Continuing Mission: The Search for Great Star Trek Games (Part 3) (0)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Epilogue (37)
- Project Eternity Kickstarter Breaks All the Banks (10)
- Culture Clash: Meta Effect (4)
- Review: The Walking Dead (Episodes 1 – 3) (20)
- Tap Dance: HM and I talk At A Distance (2)
- Puzzle Clubhouse Launches, and It Has Lasers (1)
- Steam Goes Green (36)
- Shameless Self-Promotion: Podcasting Edition (1)
- Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (9)
- The Continuing Mission: The Search for Great Star Trek Games (Part II) (2)
- You Can Help Uwe Boll Create In the Name of the King 3 (5)
- The Continuing Mission: The Search for Great Star Trek Games (Part I) (4)
- Commemorating 100 Weeks of Failure (4)
- Dominique Pamplemousse in Another Crowdfunding Project You Should Check Out (1)
- Culture Clash: Something I’ll Never Do Again (3)
- Impressions: RaiderZ Beta (12)
- Exclusive Interview: Hidden Path’s Jeff Pobst (7)
- Guild Wars 2 (Noob) Beta Impressions (24)
- Bethesda Maybe Acquires STALKER Publication Rights (5)
- Tap vs. Tap: “Pink” Games (3)
- Celebrity Guest Editorial: Ernest Adams! (42)
- Yes: It’s a Game (26)
- My Idea of Fun: Game of Lordly Caliber (1)
- Culture Clash: Dangerous to the Last Drop (14)
- Impressions: Polymorphous Perversity (9)
- Impressions: Gratuitous Tank Battles (4)
- Impressions: Endless Space (4)
- Cherry Capital Con (1)
- The World Zynga Made (7)
- Tap vs. Tap: Women in the Game Industry (16)
- Obvious Bias: Cute Robot Destruction (2)
- Nintendo’s Imaginary Friends (5)
- Tap vs. Tap: The Game/Feminism Discourse (6)
- DIY Diagnosis (8)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 1,170-1,259 (9)
- Impressions: Splice (2)
- Culture Clash: It Might Be Fun to Run a Newspaper (13)
- Apologies to Lara Croft (22)
- Persistence of Revision (16)
- I Am Your Sword And Your Shield (5)
- A/B vs. W&Z, Final Round (10)
- Gremlins in the Wires [Updated] (11)
- The Log of Shame: May Day, May Day (18)
- Impressions – Ghost Recon: Future Soldier (11)
- Harley Quinn’s Revenge (6)
- Con Coverage Continues (2)
- My Idea of Fun – MotorStorm: Pacific Rift (4)
- Tap Dance: Cat’s Away Chronicles II (starring me!) (3)
- Boldly Go Somewhere Else Entirely (5)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 1,103-1,169 (9)
- Passage Is Not About Me (15)
- Marvel Rolls Infinite Sevens (15)
- Culture Clash: The Magic in the Machine (10)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 1,044-1,102 (17)
- Monsters We Have Met (4)
- Fez (13)
- Impressions: Dragon’s Dogma (7)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #9: Jammed (6)
- Do go down to the woods tonight… (48)
- Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP Now on Steam! (7)
- Indie Impressions from PAX East (2)
- How Not to Learn to Use Rifles (12)
- Alliance of Awesome: Cat’s Away (2)
- The Log of Shame: April Showers. Showers of GAAMEZ (16)
- SquareSoft Demos at PAX East (1)
- One Hundred Years of Tragedy (11)
- Culture Clash: U Know U a Playa (6)
- Kiss Me, Kill Me (6)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #8: The Little Reveal (4)
- On The Fragmented Future of Dungeons & Dragons (15)
- Neverwinter Dawning (3)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 898-1,043 (9)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #7: THE FINAL EPISODE (0)
- Important Pre-April Gaming News (1)
- Guild Wars 2: Separating Wheat From Chaff (26)
- Journey (19)
- Alliance of Awesome: Cats, Carts, Causes and Context (0)
- Vessel (6)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #6: GDC Edition (0)
- A Preview of Gunpoint (4)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 735-897 (27)
- Among the Cool Things I Saw at GDC (4)
- In Memoriam: Ethan “Finkbug” Sicotte (23)
- I’m Commander Shepard, and This is My Favorite Flavor-Aid on the Citadel (22)
- I Like Women in Games Initiatives, But It’s Complicated (15)
- Wipeout 2048 Is Cool As Fuck (2)
- Game (almost) Over! (24)
- I’m Tapping GDC 2012 (2)
- The Log of Shame: March of the Backlogs (27)
- Dear Esther (12)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #5: A Very Special Episode (4)
- Boomblastica (5)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 697-734 (7)
- My Idea of Fun, Episode 4: Forgotten Planet (15)
- Analogue: A Hate Story (7)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #4: Indie Developer, Free to a Good Home (1)
- Kick It: Auditorium Duet (1)
- Guild Wars 2: Mesmer PvP (6)
- Playstation Vita: First Impressions (8)
- A Legion of Story Problems (30)
- Impressions: Guild Wars 2 Beta (18)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #3: The Pitch (4)
- The 3DS Is Doomed (2)
- Planned Site Outage [UPDATE] (0)
- The Log of Shame: Love Log Edition (42)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 651-696 (10)
- Guild Wars 2: Unleash The Beta! (36)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #2: Mystic Crystal Revelations (2)
- Lunchbreak Game: Super Mario Crossover 2 (1)
- What’s Wrong With AAA Today? (25)
- And Yet It Moves (11)
- Fine Time (14)
- Kermdinger Chronicles #1: Meet the Team (7)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 581-650 (19)
- My Idea of Fun: the Time Bandits (6)
- Scenes from the Game Jam (10)
- Stealing Beauty: A Thief Retrospective, Part 2 (0)
- Pardon Our Dust (0)
- Impressions: Frankenstick (5)
- Happening Now: Global Game Jam (2)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 472-580 (13)
- The Log of Shame: Backlog Battles for the Masses (Now Recording for January!) (Updated with Q&A!) (51)
- Saints Row: The Third – No Longer By Proxy! (8)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 332-471 (16)
- Armand’s Unsolicited Games of 2011: You’ll Never Guess the Winner (9)
- Xtal’s Games of 2011: Not Another Fetch Quest (8)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 200-331 (11)
- Impressions: Katawa Shoujo (5)
- AJ’s Games of 2011: I Will Take It Personally (9)
- Mat’s Games of 2011: The Times They Are A Changin’ (6)
- Gregg’s Games of 2011: Too Many Games. Sob. (7)
- Steerpike’s Games of 2011: Small Batch (20)
- Dix’s Games of the Year 2011: My Funny Friend & Me (6)
- More Adventures in my Steam Backlog: NightSky and Jamestown (9)
- My Idea of Fun: The Interloper And The Twisted Tourist (15)
- The Steam Holiday Sale Will Do Strange Things to My Backlog (15)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 134-199 (7)
- Dark Souls Diaries: Deaths 1-133 (19)
- This Joker Isn’t Funny Anymore (14)
- Guild Wars 2: Mesmer (1)
- Tap vs. Tap: Game Journalism (8)
- Miles Jacobson Looking To “Next Gen”, Tablets “Catching Up With” PC (1)
- Confirmed: GSC Game World Shuts Down (11)
- The Incredible Threat of Failure (23)
- To Mii, To You (0)
- My Idea of Fun: Tri-Optimum, Tanks, Tentacles, and Terrorists (7)
- Tap vs. Tap: Villains (10)
- Pride and Possession (7)
- You Go Hide, I’ll Count to Ten (14)
- Happy Thanksgiving! (6)
- Impressions: Jurassic Park: The Game (6)
- Are We Approaching Travel Games? (12)
- Impressions: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (72)
- Battlefield 3 (PC) (9)
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (10)
- Culture Clash: A Zero-Sum Game (9)
- A Weekend With: Bloodline Champions (7)
- Rodentia (22)
- You Make It Easy (6)
- It’s Not All About You (8)
- Discuss: Reviewing Battlefield 3 (17)
- On Cosplay and Privilege (19)
- Armand and I talk Ruins (21)
- Impressions: Batman: Arkham City (7)
- Introducing ‘A Weekend With’ (6)
- Watch As I Die A Little Inside (7)
- Alliance of Awesome: Armand’s IndieCade Roundup (7)
- Men of Science: HM and I play Portal 2 co-op (2)
- Impressions: Trauma (4)
- [UPDATE] RAGE: It’s A Looker – Now With Extra Technical Support (12)
- Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Bobby Stein (13)
- It’s Interactive Fiction Competition Time (8)
- Ico (Remastered) (9)
- The Binding of Isaac (15)
- Impressions: Star Wars: The Old Republic (59)
- Impressions: RAGE (15)
- Tap on Tour: Eurogamer Expo 2011 Impressions (7)
- Alliance of Awesome: EuroPodcast! (7)
- Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Colin Johanson (11)
- When Is A Spoiler Not A Spoiler? (6)
- Deus Ex: Human Revolution (26)
- Impressions: Guild Wars 2 (21)
- Social Strawberry Season (14)
- Meaningful Play: How Games Can Help Solve Real-World Problems (7)
- The Beaver (9)
- We Don’t Really Do “Reliability” Here (0)
- Tap on Tour 2011: Euro Gaming for the Masses (8)
- Heads Up: SEEEEGAAAAA (3)
- Are You a Gamer? Plan for a LAN (8)
- Impressions: City of Heroes Freedom (4)
- Culture Clash: Every Day is Kids Day (6)
- Alliance of Awesome: Bits ‘n’ Bytes Celebrate Gaming 2011 (0)
- Alliance of Awesome: Where He Came From (1)
- Isaac Must be Into S&M (10)
- Trackmania² Canyon (5)
- 21st Century Criticism: Reviews in Four-Letter Words (12)
- Alliance of Awesome: Now With Extra Steam (3)
- Revisited: Brink (9)
- What Is and What Should Never Be (10)
- The Official Tap-Repeatedly Post of Crap Nintendo Peripherals: Version 1.0 (4)
- Farewell, Doctor (7)
- Meta Watch: Dead Island (17)
- Hide (5)
- Dust 514: Producer Interview On “The Marriage of EVE and Dust” (0)
- Video Game Addiction and You (8)
- SW:TOR: HUTT! HUTT! HUTT! (1)
- Guild Wars 2: News Round-up (1)
- Into EVE Online (2)
- Proto-Celebrity Guest Editorial: Jacob “Bear” Elert! (5)
- First Impressions – Deus Ex: Human Revolution (39)
- Alliance of Awesome: Cheer Up, Rock (3)
- Adventures in User Generated Content (6)
- Sylvari: Gender Defined (9)
- Celebrity Guest Editorial: Amanda Lange! (38)
- Mania Potential – Trackmania 2 Beta Impressions (5)
- Heads Up: Brink Big Weekender (3)
- Anti-War Has Never Been So Much Fun (18)
- First Impressions: From Dust (18)
- Revisited: Limbo (11)
- Culture Clash: History Became Legend, Legend Became… Well, You Know (4)
- 3DS SOS (7)
- Alliance of Awesome: Making Sacrifices (1)
- Coppers for Nothing and Tracks for Free (2)
- The Humble Indie Bundle – VVVVVV Edition (4)
- We’re Watching the Watchmen (12)
- Rock Anthem for Saving the Franchise (12)
- If Stabbing a Puppy Would Make it Cooler, I Would Stab a Puppy. Bring Me a Puppy. (18)
- Good Fortune for the Uncharted Movie (7)
- Drunken Guest Editorial: Armand K (11)
- Do You Want Some Juicy Sales Figures? (2)
- From Dust to Silence (22)
- First Impre- no, Fuck it. This Game Sucks. (20)
- May I Have This Dance? (14)
- Back to the Future: The Game (5)
- Slugged In The Brain (5)
- Newer Vegas (6)
- First Impressions: SpaceChem (22)
- I Am Ready (45)
- There’s No Fun Here (13)
- They’re inside (15)
- All Your Mats Are Belong to Master Race (14)
- SWTOR: Alderaan Highlights Trailer Arrives! (2)
- US Supreme Court Does Right by Constitution (9)
- Supreme Court to Rule on Freedom Monday (Maybe) (4)
- Guild Wars 2: Open House and Underwater Combat! (1)
- Mario Marathon Turns Four (1)
- FIFA 12 Equalises on PC (5)
- Impressions: Child of Eden (15)
- First Impressions – Alice: Madness Returns (20)
- Viva La Vita Tequila (5)
- Enter Trackmania (5)
- Alliance of Awesome: The Dying Auteur (1)
- Fact Check! (4)
- Filling the Pipes (12)
- Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Jon Peters and Jonathan Sharp (35)
- SWTOR: E3 Tatooine Walkthrough (11)
- Help a Brother Out, Part 5 (8)
- Wii U. Wake Me Up When The Nightmare Is Over! (24)
- From Dust: E3 Trailer. Yum. (6)
- L.A. Noire (16)
- Culture Clash: The Open World (9)
- DNF DNR? (22)
- The 8th (17)
- God Did It (18)
- Brink (15)
- First Impressions: The Witcher 2 (33)
- June Is: Honeymoons and Game Shows (2)
- Guns of Icarus (6)
- Suspending Disbelief (25)
- Guild Wars 2: ArenaNet Announce The Engineer! (1)
- Someone Thought it was a Good Idea (12)
- Proto-Celebrity Guest Editorial: Brandon Perdue! (10)
- Every Day Is Exactly the Same (9)
- Guild Wars 2: Lions Arch Official Video (4)
- RIFT: 7-Day Free Trial (4)
- There is a Monkey in Our Wrench (7)
- If It Wasn’t Valve, I Wouldn’t Care (12)
- Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Bobby Stein (13)
- The Eleventh Colossus (47)
- Anomaly: Warzone Earth (3)
- Another World: 15th Anniversary Edition (16)
- Pointing Fingers (35)
- Alliance of Awesome: Overrated (20)
- Culture Clash: Fun with Franchising (2)
- Total War: Shogun 2 (7)
- XOC Plays Super Mario Bros. 3 (6)
- Guild Wars 2: The Domain of the Charr (0)
- Vocal Coaching (37)
- ESRB to Computerize Game Ratings (6)
- Introducing the Alliance of Awesome (7)
- Guild Wars 2: Charr Week Looms (4)
- Two Conversations (36)
- E3: Wii Follow Up Imminent? (16)
- IGDA vs. Amazon App Store (15)
- Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City Trailer Goes Live. Yeah, About That.. (11)
- The Humble Frozenbyte Bundle Is Now Live (4)
- Creating Concepts (4)
- Do No Harm (5)
- Everything is Personal, Especially When it’s Not (11)
- High Five (3)
- Let Me Finish (6)
- Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu #3 (24)
- The Sun Makes a Right Page 3 Tit of Itself Again (10)
- Portal 2: Aperture Investment Opportunity #3 “Turrets” (1)
- Prematurity (8)
- Resident Evil: 15th Anniversary Trailer (1)
- Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu #2 (20)
- Going Platinum (8)
- What I Hate (And Love) About Nintendo 3DS (24)
- Portal 2: Aperture Investment Opportunity #2 “Bot Trust” (1)
- Public Service Announcement: Tweet, Tweet (3)
- GameStop Gets Impulsive… but what Does it Mean? (3)
- First Impressions: Love (15)
- Killzone 3 (7)
- Exclusive Interview: ArenaNet’s Daniel Dociu (39)
- First Impressions: DarkSpore Beta (15)
- 2011: A Vintage Year for Zombies (21)
- First Impressions: The Dream Machine (9)
- Crysis 2: Storms The Chart (8)
- EVE Online: A Future Vision (4)
- Culture Clash: Suffer the Little Children (13)
- Guild Wars 2: Meet The Hylek (0)
- Portal 2: Aperture Investment Opportunity #1 “Panels” (7)
- Microsoft’s Vision of the Future of PC Gaming Is.. (14)
- Revisited: Grim Fandango (17)
- PAX East: Cosplay, Alive And Well (6)
- I Don’t Want An All Digital Future. This is Why. (14)
- Apocalypse Soon (9)
- Crafting A Future (14)
- EA to Win Multiple Awards for Kickass PR Week (19)
- Breaking Barriers (14)
- RIFT (7)
- First Impressions: Pokemon Black/White (8)
- The Often of Action (21)
- First Impressions: Stacking (14)
- Now Printing In 3D (0)
- RIFT: It’s A Long Wait… (10)
- Atlus Shrugs – No Catherine Outside Japan (18)
- Gemini Rue (11)
- Culture Clash: The Innovation Pinata (1)
- Marvel vs Capcom 3 (3)
- Guild Wars 2: New Norn Video! (7)
- Game Gorging (18)
- First Impressions: Bulletstorm (22)
- The Stars, Like Dust (10)
- PC Gaming Alliance Shrinks by Two Sizes (4)
- Reverse Me (16)
- Bulletstorm To Include Bullets, Storms (5)
- Culture Clash: The Beauty of a Living Thing (14)
- EVE Online: Captain’s Quarters (7)
- Guild Wars 2: Norn Week (10)
- The Gameification of Everything (3)
- Trade Fortress 2 (19)
- Steam: Total War: Shogun 2 Demo (2)
- Steam: It’s A Bit Popular (26)
- To Mod or Not to Mod (24)
- A Casual Revolution (8)
- World Of Pokemon? (12)
- How Ninja Theory Earned $60 (31)
- Dark Souls Announced (8)
- First Impressions: RIFT (21)
- Debbie Does Demo Downloads Directly (10)
- It Really Does Strike Twice (4)
- Beyond Black Mesa (16)
- HM and I talk Immortal Defense (5)
- Alone for All Seasons (54)
- VVVVVV (15)
- Boob after Reading (9)
- Rue the Whirl (5)
- 2011 Belongs to Handhelds, 3D (7)
- The End of Identity (2)
- Celebrity Guest Editorial: Drew Davidson, Part 2! (15)
- World of Warcraft: Diary Of A Call Girl (9)
- Kinect Sells… a lot (29)
- Celebrity Guest Editorial: Drew Davidson! (26)
- A&B vs. W&Z, Round Four (1)
- Shafer and Stern Join Stardock (3)
- Season’s Greetings! (23)
- Weep for Your Shattered Lives (22)
- Why Pay To Play? (5)
- Build a Patch to Stand the Test of Time (3)
- Alan Wow (6)
- Do Not Steal This Book (10)
- The Rumble of the Humble (9)
- Discuss: 2010 FOTY (13)
- First Impressions: World of Warcraft – Cataclysm (8)
- It’s Tricky (6)
- Wherefive Elder Scrolls? Right Here (16)
- Irresponsible Hate-Filled Rant (13)
- Season of Giving (2)
- It’s an Elephant (26)
- Yesterday Seems So Far Away (6)
- R18+ Now a Reality (Sort of) in Australia (5)
- Culture Clash: The Price of Freedom (0)
- First Impressions: Killzone 3 (BETA) (16)
- Happy Thanksgiving! (21)
- HM and I talk Titans (7)
- The Mighty w3sp (5)
- What Rhymes with “Man Furismo Jive”? (8)
- Emergent-cy (10)
- First Impressions: Revenge of the Titans (Beta) (13)
- The Indignant Bat (25)
- And in it, they will Stalk. (18)
- Here We Go Again: Black Ops Edition (10)
- Wherefive Elder Scrolls? (8)
- First Impressions: Fate of the World (4)
- Bitter (And Not So Sweet) Symphony (13)
- Supremely Unconfident (17)
- I Never Liked the Place Anyway (4)
- Developer is About to Die (25)
- Now I’m No Longer Alone (30)
- FIFA 11 vs PES 11 (15)
- Microsoft Relaunches GFW (13)
- Just Dance 2: Shock And Awe (2)
- New Vegas Glitchy. Also: Sky Blue (38)
- It Creates Unfair Expectations (6)
- Tim Langdell Ousted from IGDA (3)
- Culture Clash: The Game of Life (0)
- Penumbra: Black Plague (11)
- It’s Not Just Black and White (26)
- Final Fantasy XIII (16)
- Langdell Over the Edge? (0)
- Team Fortress 2: Micro-transactions Are Go! (9)
- Discuss: The Sony PlayStation Turns 15 (19)
- Kinect: Things It Doesn’t Work With #604 (18)
- No. No, No, No. No No No NONONONO (4)
- B, G, and E go H and D (23)
- Tentacles Are Scary (8)
- First Impressions: F1 2010 (4)
- The Bobby Kotick Show: BWAAHAHAHAHAHA (14)
- Tom Chick vs. All of Civilization (23)
- First Impressions (Sort of): Enslaved (14)
- Bioshock: Infinite: In-game Footage Released (9)
- Great Expectations (5)
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent (21)
- Sales Chart: Halo Reaches For The Top (5)
- Alien Breed 2 – Assault: Incoming! (0)
- Global Agenda: Beggars Can’t Be Choosers (0)
- GoG GaGs? (45)
- Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning (4)
- The Bobby Kotick Show: Money, Money, Money! (6)
- Maybe It’s the Second-to-Last Guardian (11)
- Arcen Games Need You (8)
- Culture Clash: The Sounds of Silence (0)
- Guild Wars 2: Book Your Annual Leave NOW (20)
- Halo Reach: Oh The Embarrassment (18)
- Revisited: Starcraft 2 (21)
- Horror Tomorro’ (40)
- Appreciate/Forgive (10)
- Simon of the Dead (3)
- My Inner Child Just Peed Itself (11)
- PSP Gone? (5)
- On the Perils of Over Anticipation (7)
- Warhammer Online: Diary Of A Call Girl – Chapter 2 (4)
- Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty (20)
- Alien Breed: Impact & Alien Swarm (11)
- First Impressions: NHL 11 (10)
- Elemental May not be Fundamental (21)
- Sexy Beast: Atlus Preps Catherine (9)
- Looks Like Someone’s Angling for a Job at Valve (2)
- Warhammer Online: Diary Of A Call Girl (6)
- Portal 2: Johnny & Bonnie 5 (9)
- The Last Bastion About to Fall? (2)
- A Chance at Karmic Reclamation (6)
- That is Whack, Yo (16)
- Karma, We Have a Problem (24)
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. People Disregard Steerpike’s Opinion (16)
- Holy Shit, It’s BioShock Infinite! (25)
- First Impressions: Mafia II (6)
- Revisited: Warhammer Online (10)
- Sometimes the Stories Write Themselves (3)
- Men Who Hate Women (29)
- People of Walmart (14)
- Revisited: Dead Space (12)
- Also: Godzilla. (11)
- The Bobby Kotick Show: Get Harassed, Get Fired (5)
- Immortal Defense Now Name Your Price (28)
- Discuss: Rage Against the Rage Quitters (14)
- Celebrity Guest Editorial: Ben Hoyt! (6)
- Kieron Gillen is a Stud (2)
- Starcraft 2 is “Unfinished,” Say People Who will Buy it Anyway (17)
- Impressions: Deadly Premonition (15)
- Limbo (20)
- Comic-Con 2010: Handin’ Out An Ass Whoopin’ (5)
- Alan Wake (8)
- Dream A Little Bigger Darling (27)
- You Pay for Quality, You’d Better Get Quality (15)
- Kinect Priced, New 360 Bundles on the Way (9)
- Modern Conflict HD (3)
- Wordy and Pretentious. That Sounds Right, Yeah (14)
- Tim Schafer Tells Truth, Apologizes (5)
- Ikaruga: Hardorah than Hydorah (3)
- Welcome to the Slaughterhouse (2)
- A/B vs. W&Z, Round 3 (1)
- Anonymity vs. Exposure (18)
- (Not In) Limbo (32)
- The Bobby Kotick Show: Armageddon! (5)
- Opening the Mouth (7)
- Meta Watch: Crackdown 2 (5)
- Snakes of Avalon (2)
- It’s OK, We’re All Insane Here (4)
- In The Mouth of Madness (8)
- Let’s Talk About Zombies (20)
- Steerpike Bricks His iPhone (14)
- Sony Plugs The Hole, New Firmware to Wage War on Wallets (2)
- Polycount Sets The Bar (0)
- Pardon Our Dust (0)
- If Only Professional Developers were So Dedicated (3)
- Paul The Psychic Octopus Says: Auf Wiedersehen, England (10)
- PlayStation Plus/Negative (8)
- Lady Luck, Shine On Me (5)
- The Bobby Kotick Show: Blame the Victim (7)
- Discuss: 3D, Or Not 3D? (19)
- Top Kill (16)
- Don’t Stop, Believ… erm. Journey. (7)
- E3 News: Return of Eric Chahi and Tetsuya Mizuguchi (5)
- E3 2010: A Change of Name, A Diet and Lots of Dancing; It’s the Microsoft Keynote (12)
- Do Not Be Alarmed (10)
- APBeta (7)
- Dreamcast Resurrection (3)
- Huh. (1)
- An Alarming Confluence of News (6)
- Video Games Matter. Video Game reviewers…maybe not so much. (16)
- GoldenWhy (10)
- Lotus III: The Ultimate Tune (1)
- Hmmm. (7)
- First Impressions: Alpha Protocol (29)
- Steam May or May Not Be Evil (15)
- Suspending Disbelief and Roleplaying (6)
- Eurogamer Snags first Alpha Protocol Review (7)
- Tap-Repeatedly Votes YES (12)
- Wow, I Was NOT Expecting That: Killzone Edition (1)
- XCOM Arrives (9)
- Red Dead Redemption Strolls Into Town (2)
- Alan’s Take (25)
- WHAT! Same Screen?! (4)
- First Impressions: Steam for Mac OS X (10)
- The Slope Just Got Slippier (13)
- The Mirror Crack’d (3)
- Metro 2033 (10)
- Blizzard: There’s An App For That! (2)
- Aion Falters (0)
- Guild Wars 2 Surfaces (0)
- Actiblizz Begins Call of Duty Franchise Rape in Earnest (4)
- Shavings from Other People’s Nightmares (14)
- An iPad Adventure: Part Two – The Pre-Order (6)
- Fractal Demo Now Available (2)
- Bronzemurder He Wrote (and Illustrated) (7)
- iBone.. Just Not Tonight, Darling. (7)
- Frozen Synapse (6)
- Taking The ‘Um’ Out of Humble (23)
- Just Dance Falls! (4)
- Keep It Simple (23)
- Alan Waste (6)
- Gothic II: Night of the Raven (11)
- The Future ex-Mrs. Steerpike (3)
- Sony Gets Sued (7)
- Floppy Goes Limp (14)
- Site Misbehavior (0)
- Football Manager Handheld 2010 (2)
- “I Can Feel The Epicness Flowing Through My Balls” (3)
- Hamlet (3)
- Like Tiny, Mysterious Comics from Another World (16)
- They Keep Going, and Going, and Going (10)
- Impressions: Just Cause 2 (8)
- Site Maintenance this Weekend (0)
- X-COM to be Developed by Irrational’s Red-Headed Stepchild (8)
- Yes, Yes, the Upper Banner will be Fixed (20)
- Valve Know A Good Thing (7)
- A/B vs. W&Z, Round Two (2)
- Just Dance…All The Way To The Bank! (14)
- Wow, I Was NOT Expecting That (11)
- Battlefield Bad Company 2 (9)
- New York Gets PWN3D By The 80’s (4)
- A.I. War (7)
- Red Dead Redemption is Best Game Ever (or else) (13)
- What’s Your Favourite? (20)
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat (10)
- First Impressions: Darkfall (3)
- From The Cutting Room Floor (17)
- Watch 2 Stupid People and a Gardener Talk About Games on TV (23)
- Review: Near Orbital Vanguard Alliance (N.O.V.A) (6)
- Wuv, Twue Wuv (7)
- First Impressions: Battlefield Bad Company 2 (6)
- Badger Watch (21)
- Laying Foundations (13)
- SA AG to Step Down in 2014 (2)
- First Impressions: God of War III (5)
- Swiss Game Ban Passes (12)
- First Impressions: Metro 2033 (14)
- Jason! Jason? Jaaaasssoooon! (10)
- An iPad Adventure: Part One – Justification (22)
- First Impressions: Mortal Online (10)
- Oh, THIS is Gonna End Well (2)
- Starfeld: Not Starfield (7)
- Strangely Silent at Infinity Ward Exit (1)
- First Impressions: Final Fantasy XIII (31)
- Verbal Warfare (19)
- Walk the Line (28)
- A/B vs. W&Z, Round One (8)
- Eastern Promises (14)
- Review: Heavy Rain (14)
- IGF 2010 (17)
- Freedom Doesn’t Exist (40)
- The Long, Sordid Tail of DRM (29)
- Goons Loom at Infinity Ward (33)
- Peggle (6)
- It is, in Fact, Pouring (22)
- Off the Rails (9)
- Fear Factor (14)
- First Impressions: Heavy Rain (17)
- Beneath A Steel Sky: Remastered (19)
Nice review Lewis, although I have a couple of questions:
1.) Have Revolution Software set a precedent on the iPhone for adventure games?
2.) Does it come at a handsome price of £1.79?
3.) Does the game include a pain free, PC free installation process?
4.) Am I worth talking to if I don’t own this game?
Many thanks.. 😉
Yes, Yes, Yes and Yes. Oh and no, I’m not bloody talking to you mathew. You still haven’t bought it despite my moaning! Its £1.79!!!!
No internal emails for you tomorrow! and finish Broken Sword!! 🙂
Nice review, Lewis! I’ve been meaning to grab this for months and keep forgetting/getting distracted by other shiny things on my iPhone – like FingerPiano and RockBand – this will be my next download. I promise! 😀
What a great review, Lewis. I remember when the original came out – I was still in college and working at an Electronics Boutique (later to become EBGames). I liked the box art, but was too preoccupied with Arena and Wing Commander 3 to give it a try.
The iPhone/iTouch is going to mean a massive resurgence for adventure games of the classic style. You heard it here first.
God, I was playing the first Broken Sword last November (on my evil WIN98 PC) and got stuck about halfway through. Revolution adventure games are not easy.
I don’t even HAVE an iPhone so I will go back to my corner.
Great review, Lewis!
@ Lewis
That’s good, thanks for answering my questions, although can you please make such issues more obvious in your review next time? I think they’re important questions but readers might miss the two times they’re mentioned there.
Thanks again
😉
I’m confused mat? The opening paragraph is intended to be a snap shot from the article? I wasn’t aware it was a problem? 🙁
@ Mike, I’m currently writing a review for Broken Sword, the Directors Cut, so watch this space 🙂
Hey, for anyone who doesn’t have an iPhone, BASS is available for free on GOG.com.
I’m ashamed to say I had never heard of Beneath a Steel Sky until sighting it there; I was playing more mainstream adventure games at the time of its release. I have played a bit of the game; I rebuilt my snarky robot pal, and all he really seems to do is make fun of this Foster sap. Still, it does look like a classic that I missed, and I should spend some time with it. Maybe when TLJ is done…
Is it the remastered version Xtal? Not that the differences are huge of course! I really would recommend people seek it out, although I can’t promise you’ll find it easy. Be prepared to get stuck at times, like all good adventure games 🙂
@Steerpike: Me and mrlipid briefly spoke about this on your SEGA is Sad Panda article a while ago. I think that the success of the casual gaming scene has brought new demographics into the industry, ones that were perhaps not around when the AG genre was at its peak. As a result these AGs, whether it’s Professor Layton on the DS, Sam and Max on the Wii, Monkey Island on the Xbox or Beneath a Steel Sky on the iPhone/iPod touch, are becoming popular again, and in my book that is a great thing because my mum can be happy once again.
Also, I thought the cover artwork for BASS was amazing as well.
Electronics Boutique was where me and my brother used to go for our games. I remember paying 50 Great British Pounds for Resident Evil 2 there once. And thank god it was once. That was the most I’ve ever payed for a game.
@Lew: I think your sarcasm detector is broken today! Also, the version on GoG will be the free version released by Revolution a few years back. It’s the version I finished at Barlborough.
@Mike: For shame, neither do I. I’d like one just for the games.
@xtal: TLJ! Now I really need to get round to that, I bought it a few months ago on GoG with Sanitarium. Super cheap.
I think that’s enough ‘@’s for today.
@ Lewis
I was very much pulling your plonker, Liza Burnelli! Don’t worry. Lovely review but I just found it amusing that some of the lines from your opening paragraph are exactly the same as some from the last. If intended, not to worry!
@ Gregg
Ooh, I noticed Sanitarium is available on GOG; I’ve contemplated buying it. My memories of the demo I played back so many years ago from a PCG disc are fond ones. To be honest all I remember is a guy named Lenny, and some dude dropping his drawers and falling to his death. I sorely need to revisit good adventure games, as most of my adulthood has been spent playing RPGs and shooters. After the Golden Age/Lucasarts mid-1990s era I pretty much gave up on adventure gaming. I was perverted by the likes of Warcraft, Diablo, and Worms.
xtal, play Sanitarium. You will not be sorry.
Haunted, perhaps, but not sorry.
@ Xtal, be prepared to be perverted by Diablo again when the new one launches 😉 Check out Penumbra, thats technically an adventure game 😉
@ Gregg, £50 for a videogame when we were kids. We must have been bloody mad! I remember the N64 prices being rediculous though, £60+ sometimes. I can’t actually remember the cover art for BASS though. I just remember all the disks.
@ Lewis, Believe you me, I am TOTALLY prepared for Diablo 3 to ruin my life! (much like Diablo 2 did– 10 years ago!!!–)
And re: Penumbra, I think I read a review of it here. Penumbra: Overture, was it? Maybe when my list whittles down; who the hell am I kidding, that will probably never happen.
Off Topic, I can’t wait for Diablo 3 either. We can dungeon together like real geeks! 😀
[…] you’ve read Lewis B’s review of Beneath a Steel Sky you’ll know the two of us have a soft spot for adventure games as well as an inescapable […]
[…] nostalgia that is sure to appeal to fans of both Blade Runner and Beneath a Steel Sky alike. You can view the recently released trailer, among other things, on the game’s […]