What computer games should I play if the last games I had played were Kings Quest and Myst?

February 16, 2007 3:43 PM

What computer games should I play if the last games I had played were Kings Quest and Myst?

Ok, so its been awhile since I have played any computer games, but I really enjoyed these games when I was young and would like to get into similar games now. My boyfriend is playing Vanguard right now - which looks really awesome, but Im nervous it would be too difficult for me seeing as Im unfamiliar with RPG. I am not huge into the fighting portion of all of this either, but don't mind some of it if there is a really good story/plot. Should I try this stuff out? Think I will like it? Any game suggestions - adventure games or RPG's?

posted by Carialle to computers & internet (23 comments total)

The new Sam and Max games are cute, if short. The interface is quite similar to the Sierra point&click system for their VGA games.
posted by porpoise at 3:50 PM on February 16, 2007

Telltale Games do the Sam & Max games and have a few others in a similar style.

The Exchange Student has only released one episode, but could be good.

The kings quest games have also been re made with updated graphics and some gameplay changes.
posted by cwhitfcd at 4:04 PM on February 16, 2007

The first game you should try out is Dreamfall. The gameplay isn't that exciting (ie not particularly challenging) but the story and the voice acting are among the best I've ever seen in a computer game. It's the kind of game plot that will keep you thinking about it even after you finish the game. Especially if you haven't played video games in a while, this is a nice jumping-back point.

If you're okay with something a little grittier (but with much better gameplay and a pretty good story), Fahrenheit (also known as Indigo Prophecy) is amazing (but definitely M-rated). It's not particularly difficult but requires some decent hand-eye coordination. It also has pretty good replay value.

The new Sam&Max episodic games are cute indeed, and worth checking out - the gameplay is pretty repetitive but the dialogue keeps it interesting.

Finally, you should have a look at the classics - Monkey Island, any Kings Quest games you might have missed, Full Throttle, and the original Sam&Max are all amazing, and all playable with ScummVM, which is a program that will play most of those old (mostly LucasArts) adventure titles if you have the data files for them (LucasArts sells a few collection CDs, or you try online/eBay/etc).
posted by mikeyk at 4:09 PM on February 16, 2007

You could get a Nintendo DS and play Phoenix Wright. It's a very cool lawyer text adventure with mystery solving, great storyline, cool characters.
posted by PowerCat at 4:09 PM on February 16, 2007

I would recommend playing The Longest Journey before trying Dreamfall. Dreamfall is the sequel, and I've heard very mixed things about it. The Longest Journey is also a pure adventure game, whereas there are apparently combat elements and such in Dreamfall. (Not that that in itself is a bad thing; one of my favorite game series is Quest For Glory.)
posted by Target Practice at 4:31 PM on February 16, 2007

Also, as for RPGs, one of the best in terms of story is Planescape: Torment. The actual gameplay is rather boring (battles consist mainly of directing your characters at an enemy, after which they will swing their weapons at regular intervals until either they or the enemy is dead), but I found the plot and story (which revolves around an amnesiac who cannot die trying to figure out what happened to him and how to become mortal again) wonderfully engaging and well-written. (It also probably holds the record for sheer quantity of text in a video game: It's estimated to have over a million words worth of narration and dialogue.)

The only way you'll still find it new, however, is if stores around you still have those Virgin Interactive bargain bin dual-game packs. (It comes with a thoroughly mediocre game called Soulblighter.) Otherwise, you'll have to troll stores that sell used PC games or shop online for it.
posted by Target Practice at 4:38 PM on February 16, 2007

Oh, I totally endorse Planescape... and I've just remembered Psychonauts.
posted by porpoise at 4:45 PM on February 16, 2007

There are plenty of home-made titles which approach and surpass the high marks set by the "Quest" games. A good starting place would be Abandonia's adventure games section. Lots of great free games there. They also have RPGs. Then, if something turns out to not be to your liking, at least it was free.
posted by Durhey at 4:55 PM on February 16, 2007

You don't mention which version of Myst you last played, but you could check out some of the latest ones. I've enjoyed a lot of them, and the graphics on modern systems only make them more enjoyable.
posted by odinsdream at 5:06 PM on February 16, 2007

I would take a look at Knights of the Old Republic if you liked Star Wars at all. It's my favorite RPG so far and has a fantastic story. I've not played Vanguard but if it's like World of Warcraft you're likely to find that the story aspect is a bit lacking.
posted by pombe at 5:26 PM on February 16, 2007

Syberia reminded me a lot of Myst, but the "puzzles" may be easier then you're looking for (really mostly not puzzles at all, mostly finding items and piecing together what you need to do in what order). Oh, it's single player and there's no combat of any kind....very story oriented.
posted by anaelith at 5:50 PM on February 16, 2007

I cannot recommend 'Grim Fandango' enough. It's a superb game, probably among the best computer games of all time and certainly one of the high water marks of the adventure game genre.

See here for more info:
Wikipedia Article
Gamespot Greatest Games Of All Time

Tim Schafer, one of the lead writers and designers on Grim Fandango later setup his own company, DoubleFine, to produce one of the games listed above: Psychonauts - which is also astoundingly excellent.

As a double bonus, you can pick either of these up for practically nothing (~$5) on budget.
posted by dflock at 6:23 PM on February 16, 2007

Fareinheit/Indigo Prophecy is certainly worth your time, if only for the most "WTF" nonsense plot turn of all time. If you have a Nintendo DS, Hotel Dusk is akin to those old Sierra games. I got a real kick out of it hunkering down in airports a few weeks ago.
posted by GilloD at 6:35 PM on February 16, 2007

Deus Ex is a classic. Half RPG/Adventure and Half Action. Absolutely riveting storyline.
posted by fvox13 at 8:19 PM on February 16, 2007

Star Control 2! It has a cool plot, lots of dialog, and is immensely fun. (PS: open-source!) Combat's part of it (required in some parts, useless in others) but you can turn it to automatic if you like (I did this, and it was fine.).
posted by sleeplessunderwater at 10:51 PM on February 16, 2007

Fareinheit/Indigo Prophecy is certainly worth your time, if only for the most "WTF" nonsense plot turn of all time.

I'd say the opposite for the same reason: the first half(ish) of the game is so good that the stupid plot twist and ending made me mad at the game. Not frustrated, mad at the squandered potential. Gameplay wise and story wise it's like the developers handed the game over to a bunch of 3rd graders to finish after they'd worked out the incredibly good first half of the game.
posted by Silentgoldfish at 11:33 PM on February 16, 2007

A couple classic adventure game series I could recommend (that haven't already been mentioned..) are Gabriel Knight and Broken Sword. There are a couple newer Broken Sword titles that I found highly enjoyable, and they all are story focused and highly enjoyable.

I would also second the sam & max recommendation, I've played the old one and the latest offerings and they are all top quality.
posted by dujoducom at 11:50 PM on February 16, 2007

Myst had a number of sequels.

"Riven" (a.k.a. Myst 2) is my favourite game of all time.

"Myst III" is OK.
"Myst IV" sucked. Avoid.
"Myst V" is supposedly much better than IV but I've not played it.

There was also "Uru: Ages of Myst" which isn't really a Myst game at all, but a 3D platformer with puzzles.
posted by Mwongozi at 4:44 AM on February 17, 2007

Oh, and if you enjoyed Myst, you could always play it again in the form of "RealMyst", which is Myst but done in real-time 3D, so you can stand anywhere and look in any direction, rather than being constrained to the pre-rendered images of the original. Very cool.
posted by Mwongozi at 4:46 AM on February 17, 2007

There was also "Uru: Ages of Myst" which isn't really a Myst game at all, but a 3D platformer with puzzles.

The online component is recently been revitalized by a community effort. Adopted by GameTap, there are now free "Visitor" areas to explore, as well as more complicated areas open to GameTap subscribers.
posted by thanotopsis at 7:27 AM on February 17, 2007

I played a lot of adventure games when I was a kid, and have fond memories of many of them. Here are some of the ones I remember that haven't been mentioned yet.

Loom
Toonstruck
Beneath a Steel Sky (you'll need ScummVM for this one)
The Neverhood
The Dig (use ScummVM for this one too)
Return to Zork

The links go to Home of the Underdogs (mentioned on the blue), which provides descriptions/reviews of a huge selection of old games and downloads for many of them. The site is slow, but the content is golden.

Of the games that I linked, my favorites are The Neverhood and Beneath a Steel Sky. They're both great games, and The Neverhood in particular is unlike any game I've ever seen.

I also want to recommend Grim Fandango; it's an incredible game. You don't mention which of the King's Quest games you played, but I remember enjoying V and VI, so if you haven't played them you might want to try and get your hands on them.

As far as RPGs go, I recommend Fallout and its sequel Fallout 2. It's hard to say enough good stuff about these two games. They have good plots, a lot of style, and good replay value. I've played through both of them a few times.

Well that's enough out of me. Happy gaming!
posted by benign at 1:40 PM on February 17, 2007

Myst Online was recently (re-)launched. Originally it was called Uru online, which had a six hour offline game, but the original devs simply could not get their act together, and so scrapped the project. IIRC Robin resurrected it, and now MO:U relaunched and went live just this week.
posted by missed at 3:46 PM on February 17, 2007

Beneath a Steel Sky just recently became freeware, so you can get the CD version via GamersHell, and then use ScummVM to play it.

I second the Monkey Island series, and don't forget the Space Quest series, if you can find that somewhere. Monkey Island will satisfy all your pirate urges, and Space Quest is more sci-fi-ish.
posted by theiconoclast31 at 11:45 AM on February 18, 2007