I am very probably wrong but this actually seems like a half decent game if this is what FMV was in 96/97.
Eh.. as someone that played a ton of FMV adventures in the 90's, Phantasmagoria 2 was always known more for its memorable.. scenes and b-movie horror schtick than being a good adventure game. The original from '95 at least had Roberta Williams behind it, and Gabriel Knight 2 which came out that same year is a better take on this particular formula from Sierra. Tex Murphy games were also hitting around then, which were my personal favorite of the bunch.
Some cool stuff on here, did not expect an Apple IIe game to show up on any of these lists. Very interested in Wheels of Aurelia and Renowned Explorers, gonna give the latter a go this weekend. Huge fan of both 80 Days and Sunless Sea so anything Meg suggests I'm down with, great to see her on the site!
@nickhead: Played all 3 Witcher games and never liked Dandelion as a character. The Novigrad section caused me to put the game aside for a month and had to force myself to get past it, a low point in terms of story and momentum for sure.
As to Rami's list, excellent and thoughtful as always. Always love reading or hearing your thoughts on the state of the industry, current releases and what makes good games tick.
Hell of a writeup on Invisible Inc., a game I've been meaning to play and now most certainly will in short notice. Also your Undertale review sold me on the game sight unseen, which ended up in my personal top slot. And Wiz KaleLeefa, goddamnit.
Had read your work prior to appearing on Giant Bomb but your list last year really stood out to me at the time as a window into your eclectic tastes. Needless to say I'm a big fan of your contributions to the site and this list is no different, thoughtful picks and a great read.
This was an excellent read. Always enjoy the range of games that get highlighted in the guest lists, especially from devs championing stuff that wasn't on my radar.
Very fair review. The paragraph describing issues surrounding dialogue alone is incredibly representative of the Fallout/Elder Scrolls experience, which gets harder to forgive with each subsequent entry. On top of technical issues, the changes to the dialogue system and player characterization in general have been a disappointment so far.
Even so, there's nothing quite like exploring every nook and cranny of a Bethesda game. It's a world you can get lost in with memorable moments and scenarios around every corner. Worth the caveats for me, but like many others I hope it's not the same song and dance 5 years from now when the next one hits.
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