As always, great review! Absolutely loved it. In the time since your last video, I ended up collecting a few more adventure games - the Frogwares Sherlock Holmes games being at the top of the list! And, I have to say, having played through Nemesis completely, (and half-completed Awakened as of writing) I much prefer the previous entry to Nemesis. Nemesis at times is tedious to the point of being nearly unplayable. Don't get me wrong - a lot of the puzzles are great - but, a few (such as those in Buckingham Palace) grow quite boring with just how much pixel hunting and little conversations you must carry out before the game lets you progress. And, while the library was a little frustrating to me (although overall very, very enjoyable), I really found the British Museum section fun. I agree that it makes the game! Unlike Awakened where I easily got the remastered version, I only have the original version of Nemesis as I don't think the remastered version ever got a physical release - only digital download. And, I'm not a big fan of digital downloads myself. Much prefer to have a complete shelf of Holmes games to oogle over rather than just a simple folder on my PC. On a side note: Having also gotten Journey to the Center of the Earth and 80 Days along with the other Holmes games I didn't previously own, I've begun to notice an odd homosexual running gag between those early Frogwares games. I don't know if it's just coincidental or what, but, Silver Earring had a thinly veiled gay theater actor, this has a gay museum director, and 80 Days had multiple derogatory references in the Airship levels... Odd. Although, now I half want to look through the rest of Frogwares' library for these as a sort of deranged easter-egg hunt. Other than that, though, really love the Frogwares puzzle games - and your reviews, as usual, are well researched and succinct. I'm glad you don't go into game-ruining spoilers, yet offer a complete look that is fair and honest, while still finding time to share your own personal opinion on the games. You've certainly persuaded me to get into some really great adventure games I might not have otherwise! Thanks for that. :) Looking forward to your next review.
My comment was already long enough but I forgot to include this :P While Silver Earring was my first Holmes game, and I thoroughly enjoyed Testament and Crimes & Punishments, I think I overall prefer this game and Awakened. While the graphics certainly aren't anything to boast about today, they have a certain charm to them. I really like the game engine used between the two, and overall found the settings and story quite enjoyable. The music and voice acting, too, fit right in with the atmospheres the games present - and match very closely to how I originally envisioned the characters, locations, and stories when reading the original books and short stories. And, while the later games brought with them improvements and graphical updates (and more puzzles) I most enjoyed the series when it was done like this. I kind of wish Frogwares future Holmes games could be made just like this, with perhaps a graphical update here and there. I think the formula established here is simply perfect! I love the lay-out of Baker Street, settings like the Museum and Buckingham Palace are a treat (especially in first person), and IDK, I just have such a nostalgia for it. I seem to revisit these older Frogwares games more than any others, especially on the Holmes front. I wish this specific game formula would have lasted more than 3 games. (Awakened, Nemesis, and Jack the Ripper - although the latter changes up things a bit with fog render distance, 2d crime scene drawings, and such...)
Thanks for the comments, I do try and put some thought into the content so it's really nice to hear that someone enjoys them! I'm a big fan of adventure games in general. I play all genres, but I collect adventure games, so I agree about preferring a physical copy of games. Sadly it's becoming rarer for games to actually get a physical release these days, so I try and get things from GOG where I can so I can at least make my own disc backup. The Buckingham Palace section really was tedious and was definitely a series low point for me. Aside from the justification for the puzzles being terrible, they just weren't very good puzzles in the first place. It's been so long since I played Silver Earring and I've not yet played 80 Days so I hadn't noticed that running theme. I didn't think too much of it at the time of playing Nemesis since it fit into the British camp comedy mould, like something from an old sitcom. Maybe there's more to it if it keeps recurring. I'll be getting to reviewing the Jack the Ripper game fairly soon hopefully, after I've taken a detour into the Discworld.
Best adventure games I can hint at: Blacksad & Precognition - An Erica Reed Thriller.
As always, great review! Absolutely loved it.
In the time since your last video, I ended up collecting a few more adventure games - the Frogwares Sherlock Holmes games being at the top of the list! And, I have to say, having played through Nemesis completely, (and half-completed Awakened as of writing) I much prefer the previous entry to Nemesis.
Nemesis at times is tedious to the point of being nearly unplayable. Don't get me wrong - a lot of the puzzles are great - but, a few (such as those in Buckingham Palace) grow quite boring with just how much pixel hunting and little conversations you must carry out before the game lets you progress. And, while the library was a little frustrating to me (although overall very, very enjoyable), I really found the British Museum section fun. I agree that it makes the game!
Unlike Awakened where I easily got the remastered version, I only have the original version of Nemesis as I don't think the remastered version ever got a physical release - only digital download. And, I'm not a big fan of digital downloads myself. Much prefer to have a complete shelf of Holmes games to oogle over rather than just a simple folder on my PC.
On a side note: Having also gotten Journey to the Center of the Earth and 80 Days along with the other Holmes games I didn't previously own, I've begun to notice an odd homosexual running gag between those early Frogwares games. I don't know if it's just coincidental or what, but, Silver Earring had a thinly veiled gay theater actor, this has a gay museum director, and 80 Days had multiple derogatory references in the Airship levels... Odd. Although, now I half want to look through the rest of Frogwares' library for these as a sort of deranged easter-egg hunt.
Other than that, though, really love the Frogwares puzzle games - and your reviews, as usual, are well researched and succinct. I'm glad you don't go into game-ruining spoilers, yet offer a complete look that is fair and honest, while still finding time to share your own personal opinion on the games. You've certainly persuaded me to get into some really great adventure games I might not have otherwise! Thanks for that. :)
Looking forward to your next review.
My comment was already long enough but I forgot to include this :P
While Silver Earring was my first Holmes game, and I thoroughly enjoyed Testament and Crimes & Punishments, I think I overall prefer this game and Awakened. While the graphics certainly aren't anything to boast about today, they have a certain charm to them. I really like the game engine used between the two, and overall found the settings and story quite enjoyable.
The music and voice acting, too, fit right in with the atmospheres the games present - and match very closely to how I originally envisioned the characters, locations, and stories when reading the original books and short stories. And, while the later games brought with them improvements and graphical updates (and more puzzles) I most enjoyed the series when it was done like this.
I kind of wish Frogwares future Holmes games could be made just like this, with perhaps a graphical update here and there. I think the formula established here is simply perfect! I love the lay-out of Baker Street, settings like the Museum and Buckingham Palace are a treat (especially in first person), and IDK, I just have such a nostalgia for it.
I seem to revisit these older Frogwares games more than any others, especially on the Holmes front. I wish this specific game formula would have lasted more than 3 games. (Awakened, Nemesis, and Jack the Ripper - although the latter changes up things a bit with fog render distance, 2d crime scene drawings, and such...)
Thanks for the comments, I do try and put some thought into the content so it's really nice to hear that someone enjoys them! I'm a big fan of adventure games in general. I play all genres, but I collect adventure games, so I agree about preferring a physical copy of games. Sadly it's becoming rarer for games to actually get a physical release these days, so I try and get things from GOG where I can so I can at least make my own disc backup.
The Buckingham Palace section really was tedious and was definitely a series low point for me. Aside from the justification for the puzzles being terrible, they just weren't very good puzzles in the first place.
It's been so long since I played Silver Earring and I've not yet played 80 Days so I hadn't noticed that running theme. I didn't think too much of it at the time of playing Nemesis since it fit into the British camp comedy mould, like something from an old sitcom. Maybe there's more to it if it keeps recurring.
I'll be getting to reviewing the Jack the Ripper game fairly soon hopefully, after I've taken a detour into the Discworld.
made me dizzy.