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 So there's this old Norwegian game developer named Funcom. These days they're most famous for producing MMORPGs like Anarchy Online and Age of Conan, but they got their start way back in 1993, long before MMOs were a distinct genre. Their first title, A Dinosaur's Tale, was an adventure game on the Sega Genesis, and they dipped into several other genres (and ported several Japanese titles) as they found their footing. One of the designers on staff was Ragnar Tørnquist, a programmer and aspiring author who joined in 1994. His first project was the video game tie-in for the movie Casper, and he worked as writer and designer on other Funcom games until they finally gave him a project he could lead: the adventure game The Longest Journey. The game first came out in 1999, but only in Norway. It took a few more months to come out in the UK and a full year to get a North American release. The game got some very good reviews and positive press, but since adventure games were basically dead at that point it took a couple of years to reach 450,000 copies. That was good enough to earn it a sequel, Dreamfall, although it would take until 2006 to come out since Funcom was focused on more profitable games like Anarchy Online. Dreamfall got a more mixed reception thanks to Xbox limitations and obviously shoehorned stealth and combat sections. It also ended on a huge cliffhanger, which is always aggravating. Still, the story was good and Tørnquist promised the story wasn't over yet, although it would take a spinoff developer, a crowdfunding campaign, a government grant, and 8 years for that sequel to arrive. Still, none of the sequel stuff is necessary to enjoy The Longest Journey itself. I call it "the best book I ever played" because this is very much a story-driven game. There are a few infuriatingly obscure puzzles, but like the combat in Dreamfall they're mostly there for the sake of appearances. TLJ is an interactive novel, and people talk like they're in a novel. That doesn't bother me because I happen to like novels, and if you do too then by all means scroll down.
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Apr 16, 2018 21:16
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Bobbin Threadbare fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Jan 14, 2019 |
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Apr 16, 2018 21:16
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Snow White was not the first animated feature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animated_feature_films_before_1940 Another thing about the game is that it was dubbed into a variety of languages Norwegian (highly unusual, presumably only done because Funcom wanted to appeal to the home market) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P86etr37Xkg Swedish (also pretty rare) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ublW7v9pABs German (seems like they kept the English title): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nc3kUIdjRbA French (ditto): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OGP-3O0Mtg Dutch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkxlavhtKFo Polish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVlllF_-OBM Russian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCwjx5w3Fyk Kopijeger fucked around with this message at 21:35 on Apr 16, 2018 |
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Apr 16, 2018 21:19
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Strapping in for the long haul, huh?
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Apr 16, 2018 21:20
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One of my favorites. The writing and voice acting are genuinely great, and the sequels are pretty good as well. Have fun with that early game puzzle. You know the one. What's the spoiler policy?
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Apr 16, 2018 21:25
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Probably good you didn't put Dimension/Time Portal Films up for request that I knew about- I would have requested you review one of the many great bad 80s films in the genre. Beastmaster 2- Through the Portal of Time, Crossworlds, Masters of the Universe, The Terminator... That last one's a good one. If one of these films is on your list already, I will laugh maniacally.  If not, consider this a suggestion. Heh.I've never actually played The Longest Journey, it's not my kind of game. But I wish you luck with it and will support your work.
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Apr 16, 2018 21:25
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Man, I just happened to buy this and Dreamfall today in the GOG sale going on right now because I think I rented Dreamfall once and always have half-obscured memories about it. Guess I'm playing along.
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Apr 16, 2018 21:27
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One of my favourite adventure games and -protagonists. Still have the old physical CD box in a shelf. Oh...oh no.. it is a rubber ducky helplessly trapped in some puzzle design. OutofSight fucked around with this message at 21:59 on Apr 16, 2018 |
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Apr 16, 2018 21:36
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Aw, I replayed this and Dreamfall around Christmas (well, I wanted to - I ended up watching lp's of them as TLJ kept crashing). I was struck by how utterly stupid some of the puzzles in the original are, especially when they involve other characters. It is still one of my favorite games, for some reason. Dreamfall's cool too, but it's hard to separate from Chapters, which I'm mostly trying to forget.
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Apr 16, 2018 21:54
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so what's the plan on the "and company" part of the title? Do you intend to do the entire series, because that could take ... some time.
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Apr 16, 2018 22:38
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double nine posted:so what's the plan on the "and company" part of the title? Do you intend to do the entire series, because that could take ... some time. "And company" would be the reviews at the end of each episode. Erwin the German posted:One of my favorites. The writing and voice acting are genuinely great, and the sequels are pretty good as well. Open spoilers, as usual.
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Apr 16, 2018 23:30
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Man, I remember a lets play of this game from years ago; probably pushing nearly a decade at this point. Sucked me right in and I bought it and Dreamfall immediately after the first update; been meaning to pick up Chapters but it's been so long now that I don't remember all the details any more and I want to replay them but just don't have the time. That and I remember some puzzles being a real pain and don't remember all the solutions. This should keep you busy for the rest of 2018 though!
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Apr 17, 2018 00:58
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The game truly does have a drat lot of talking if you want to hear it all, but the writing is really good to back it up. Just the right balance of funny and drama, though it does cut the chatting possibilities near the end when drama starts hitting like a train.
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Apr 17, 2018 01:11
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Speaking of deconstructing the Disney myth, I wound up really enjoying "Galavant", the ABC musical comedy series that pays homage to all the fairy tale tropes while also ridiculing them mercilessly. "Galavant" is a story about a hero who has to save his true love, thwart a great evil and save the kingdom; only the hero isn't the "hero", the true love isn't who you think it is, the great evil comes from an unexpected place, and the kingdom may not be savable. It's got charming leads, neat cameos, and catchy musical numbers by Disney veterans Alan Menken and Glenn Slater. You can find both seasons on Netflix(at least you can in Canada).
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Apr 17, 2018 01:32
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What's wrong with Dreamfall Chapters?
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Apr 17, 2018 01:51
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This truly is a fantastic game, and a really long one. A very apt title. Going to follow this with interest. Never really played the sequel(s) much though. I do have to be amazed at how common the name April Ryan seems to be. I wonder if there's a particular reason for that. Stabbey_the_Clown fucked around with this message at 03:04 on Apr 17, 2018 |
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Apr 17, 2018 02:25
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TLJ is such a good game, even if the early 3d graphics aged quite poorly. Shame it didn't get any sequels. Impressively bad. SSNeoman posted:What's wrong with Dreamfall Chapters? Xander77 fucked around with this message at 06:14 on Apr 17, 2018 |
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Apr 17, 2018 06:04
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I don’t know anything about this game, so I’ll be closely following the thread. The protagonist seems fun and spunky. And it warms my heart to see that old adventure game standby, “pick up every item and stuff it down your pants, even if there’s no logical or immediate reason to do so”
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Apr 17, 2018 06:13
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Oh hey, pretty sweet! I saw the video first in my YouTube feed, and then couldn't find the thread. Oh, what a muggins I am!
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Apr 17, 2018 06:47
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Constable Guybrush is probably an amalgamation of references; aside from Guybrush Threepwood, there's The Librarian in the Discworld series. He is an ape that really dislikes being called a monkey.
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Apr 17, 2018 09:43
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Xander77 posted:TLJ is such a good game, even if the early 3d graphics aged quite poorly. Shame it didn't get any sequels. YMMV, but personally i liked the sequels, even though i could have lived without the fight sequences in Dreamfall and some of the running around in Chapters. TLJ is still the best game in the series, but even though they have some issues, the sequels were not bad imho. englerp fucked around with this message at 10:59 on Apr 17, 2018 |
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Apr 17, 2018 10:43
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Oh my goodness the best possible LPer for this series, playing a series I've long wanted to see all of without having to replay the first one again and get distracted halfway through. I'm in!!
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Apr 17, 2018 20:35
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I will follow Bobbin's LPs through the fires of Hell. Super interested in this one.
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Apr 18, 2018 13:40
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Oh boy. This game, done by this LPer...  TLJ is a special one for me- I didn't really cotton to the adventure game, I mean I had heard of them before, but the closest I ever got were puzzle games, such as Myst and Riven, and Return to Zork and Grand inquisitor (a.k.a the only games that would run on my parent's computer  )... but then I just found this game in a bin somewhere. And I don't think I really knew that games could be like this- no magic, no weapons, no disposable monsters to shoot and nothing to shoot them with, just your wits and anything you happened to be carrying at the time to protect you from the threats you would face. And I tore through it. It was weird and arbitrary at times, but I eventually came to delight in trying to find solutions or just seeing what April would say when this or that thing happened; I couldn't get enough. A whole new world was opened to me. It was wonderful.(For me, anyway... not always for April.)
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Apr 18, 2018 16:51
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Well, that's an ambitious opening. I wonder what the payoff's going to be.
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Apr 19, 2018 03:43
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I haven't played this either! It looks (and feels) similar to Sanitarium, which I rather liked (if found freaky).
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Apr 19, 2018 06:01
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Oh yeah, this game. I started playing it until like Act 1 or something then stopped. I should pick it up again.
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Apr 19, 2018 06:37
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painedforever posted:I haven't played this either! It looks (and feels) similar to Sanitarium, which I rather liked (if found freaky). There is definitely a similar feel in parts, although this game doesn't go as far into the disturbing psychology. It's also bout ten times as long as Sanitarium. One observation on the setting: The names Newport and Venice evoke Los Angeles (just add 'beach' to them), but the look and feel of the city is a lot more like New York.
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Apr 19, 2018 18:56
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gently caress THAT DUCK
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Apr 19, 2018 19:06
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Kangra posted:One observation on the setting: The names Newport and Venice evoke Los Angeles (just add 'beach' to them), but the look and feel of the city is a lot more like New York. edit: actually I just looked it up out of curiosity and the 'official' wiki lists it as a 'large, west coast city' so maybe it is in/around LA. I don't remember this ever being talked about in the game but I could've just forgotten about it completely. 1stGear posted:gently caress Psychotic Weasel fucked around with this message at 01:10 on Apr 20, 2018 |
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Apr 20, 2018 01:02
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I love this game. Still play it from time to time. Glad to be onboard near the beginning, Bobbin - you'll do it up well.
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Apr 22, 2018 04:48
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Apr 23, 2018 17:10
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Aww, you completely glossed over Hathor. That episode is so incredibly dumb. Humanity's "Specialness" in the later episodes of SG-1 isn't as bad as you've been led to believe. The two main things are that 1) Some humans either through chance or design(by some of the Ancients who are still kicking around) have the genetic sequence that Ancient technology looks for so we can use their stuff. 2)We're still "Dumb enough" technologically to come up with solutions to problems that the advanced races would ignore. Guns are understandable as a weapon. But the whole "use a chemical reaction to propel a metal slug to injure someone" thing is utterly baffling to the Asgard. So our specialness is less "Oh you are the only violent race" and more "Right place, right time to actually make an impact on the universe at large." Kurieg fucked around with this message at 17:53 on Apr 23, 2018 |
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Apr 23, 2018 17:48
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The other thing humanity has going for it that gets treated as special is an adaptation of new technology that others are slower to accept. The Asgard have stagnated (at a highly advanced level, but innovation is difficult for them), the Jaffa have spent millennia bound by tradition and wrestle with the cultural significance of those traditions while seeking liberation, the Goa'uld are technological scavengers, and so on. Meanwhile if SG-1 encounters something in one episode they're usually improving and weaponizing it in the next one, either directly on-screen or "that's been taken to Area 51 where they're taking it apart" or "the White House is sending as many diplomats as they can fit through the portal to negotiate for that Handwavium."
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Apr 23, 2018 18:12
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Lots of creepos in this world. Around two thirds so far.
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Apr 24, 2018 15:38
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Excellent. I've played my share of adventure games and this is the one I consider my favorite. It's even long enough that even though I've completed it twice I don't remember whole segments of the game anymore. What I found unique in this game is that games that do the whole two worlds gimmick end up making one world more interesting. One of these worlds tends to be the one players enjoy while the other one is a roadblock before returning to the fun segment. This game they are both great. Something in April's animation when sitting on that chair always troubled me. She looks like a queen of some kind majestically easing herself down on it. As for SG-1 it's one of those shows that's survives as long as does because the stargate itself allows doing any type of plot imaginable. It's not a show I enjoy for its deep plots or character development like Babylon 5, yet almost all episodes are fun enough to watch for some enjoyment.
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Apr 24, 2018 18:47
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the sad thing is that, while I fully understand the time constraints, bobbin hasn't had the pleasure of watching the season 4 episode window of opportunity, which is a crying shame.
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Apr 24, 2018 18:55
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My only two cents to the current Stargate chat is that there was a cartoon. The plot was, "oppos went through the portal without knowing where it went or its coordinates, we're lost and are trying to get back home. surely we're get back before we're canc-"
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Apr 24, 2018 20:18
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PhazonLink posted:My only two cents to the current Stargate chat is that there was a cartoon. The plot was, "oppos went through the portal without knowing where it went or its coordinates, we're lost and are trying to get back home. surely we're get back before we're canc-" You perfectly described the plot of "Sliders" there. OutofSight fucked around with this message at 21:53 on Apr 24, 2018 |
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Apr 24, 2018 20:37
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OutofSight posted:You perfectly describedd the plot of "Sliders" there. And Quantum Leap.
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Apr 24, 2018 20:46
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