CASA ::

When it comes to point'n'click games (which there must be other die-hard text fans that enjoy), the Broken Sword series are among the best out there. So I was immensely pleased to see that the series was getting a fifth entry via Kickstarter. The project is already in the black, so it's going forward and looking very promising. Any money beyond the immediate target is used to expand the game. Anybody else supporting this?


(In the meantime, another golden oldie, Wings, has tested the Kickstarter waters and failed epically. Maybe they should have dispensed with the bimbo from the presentation video? )

On the Broken Sword page, Charles Cecil (who began his career with the Artic text adventures) talks about a sequel to Beneath a Steel Sky, which I'd love to see. The original is one of the best point'n'click games from the 90's. Bring it on!

Among the best? The first one is so decidedly mediocre it'd almost comical. The second one is a puzzleless joke.

To each his own I really enjoy the story-telling, and it would appear I'm not alone. The first entry isn't the best, but we're definitely past the mediocre mark.

Actually I quite liked playing the first part. But maybe being an archaeologist I'm a bit biased playing Indiana Jones like adventure games . The second part I played also but I skipped the third part which I didn't like. The fourth part was given an extra dimension supporting the AMBX system. Feeling the wind actually blow in your face while playing was kind of fun. If the fifth part is released I think I'll give it a try.

The third game had a ridiculous number of "move the crates" puzzles, but the fourth was a definitite improvement. Except the non-skippable dialogue was very annoying. Never figured out what AMBX was
The funding for the fifth game is already in place, and for $15 for the cheapest package you can't go terribly wrong IMO.

The AMBX system was actually a nice idea, but unfortunately only a few people (like myself ) bought the system and therefore it was embedded in only a handful of games. It gives a game a fourth dimension. For instance when you are playing a racing games the two fans blow wind inside your face and when you drive faster the wind grows stronger. Apart from the fans it consists of several lamps. Two of them you put on either side of your monitor and one with tree lamps inside behind your monitor. These lamps adjust their colour to the colour of the game. If you walk in a dark brown cave the lamps turn into the same brown colour or if you are near a fire the lamps turn red. The lights behind your monitor are even more interesting because when there is for instance an explosion they give a red glow and it makes you feel you’re inside the game. Apart from these features it also has a trill pad similar to the effect on a PlayStation but I don’t like that and never use it.

Oh, yes the storytelling... "Hello, I'm George Stobbart, an American tourist. How do you like this dirty tissue I'm shoving in your face?"

This AMBX sounds like fun. SimFrm would have been the natural candidate to support this. The smell of cow dung being blown in your face would have made that one all the more immersive...

"And the Academy Award for best original screenplay goes to...."

As for AMBX, I'd suggest we take it one step further and hand out scratch and sniff cards for all adventure games. That's retro gaming right there.